We seem to have been too much distracted from our garden and I confess it is looking a mess. It has run away with itself and there is so much to do just to get it looking neat, let alone anything more than that!
I was looking at the old book which my dad had used ‘Practical Gardening and Food Production” and it struck my that although Richard Sudell is only giving instruction and is writing in such an economic way, his thoughts for October are almost poetic. Here with a little adjustment is what he suggests for the month ahead:
Practical Gardening in October
Night frosts become almost inevitable
And plant growth slows.
Leaves begin to fall
And tops die back in the herbaceous borders.
Fully grown plants mature
Fruits ripen,
The developing seedlings slow.
Nature is settling down
For a long rest
Prepare ground.
Main winter digging can begin.
Prepare glass…
and other forms of protection –
– mats, screens, hurdles, straw
This is the gardener’s New Year;
Stocks of plants fertilisers, soils
Should be overhauled.
Perennial plants,
Trees,
Shrubs,
All should be ordered
And a garden planting plan
Should be made,
So, they can be prepared for
In advance.
Continue to hoe and weed.
Richard Sudell
Here is what was actually written – and you can see I barely tweaked it:
Weather – Night frosts become almost inevitable, and plant growth slows down. Leaves begin to fall. Tops die back in the herbaceous borders. Fully grown plants mature, fruits ripen but the developing seedlings slow. Nature is settling down to a long rest.
October work – Prepare ground. Main winter digging can begin. Prepare glass and other forms of protection – mats, screens, hurdles, straw. This is the gardener’s new year; and stocksA of plants fertilisers, soils should be overhauled. Perennial plants, trees, and shrubs should be ordered and a garden planting plan Should be made so that they can be prepared for
In advance.
Food plots – continue to hoe and weed.
Lois Elsden 