October 2023 Monty Don

JOBS

GATHER LEAVES TO MAKE LEAFMOULD

October monty don: a concise orientation before we get practical.

October monty don: Quick notes

Every fallen leaf is potential leafmould and leafmould  which, unlike compost, takes no turning, mixing or knowledge to make, is garden gold. 

 So I am obsessive about making leafmould, gathering as many of the fallen leaves as possible, mowing them to chop them up and then stacking them in a big open heap so they can break down into a lovely rich, crumbly texture and become an essential component of our home-made potting compost.

But I also leave drifts and piles of leaves under hedges and trees to provide over-wintering cover for hedgehogs, frogs, small mammals and insects, along with stacks of logs and piles of prunings – all of which gives essential winter protection for these small creatures that contribute so much to the garden’s health.

If you do not have somewhere to store them sort this out early in the month. A simple bay  made from four posts and chicken wire is ideal. 

INVEST IN HORTICULTURAL FLEECE & CLOCHES

If you do not already posses them, invest in horticultural fleece and some cloches. The point is that these are only useful if you have and employ them before you need them and there is no guarantee that there will not be a hard frost in October. Cloches are very good for rows of vegetables, keeping them dry as well as warm (although I always leave the ends open – happy to trade some heat for some ventilation) and fleece is the best temporary protection against frost, either laid out over small plants or draped over shrubs and bushes.

BRING TENDER PLANTS IN UNDER COVER BEFORE THEY NEED PROTECTION

In my garden this includes Bananas, salvias, citrus, pomegranates, olives, pelargoniums, succulents, fuchsias, eucomis and hedychium but NOT dahlias and cannas, which can be left in situ until the first signs of frost damage have affected them. Then  they can be cut back, dug up and bought indoors to check over before storing in old potting compost in a cool, dark place where they will stay alive but not grow over winter. 

KEEP DEADHEADING

Keep deadheading throughout October, particularly the equatorial plants like dahlias. This will extend their flowering season and squeeze the last bloom from them.  Spent dahlia flowers can be tricky to differentiate from unopened buds, but the foolproof difference is that when they have finished flowering they become pointed and a cone shape, whereas the unopened buds are rounded.

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