Maintaining soil and structures and planning ahead
As crops are harvested clear debris and cover cleared soil with weed suppressant.
Plan a crop system for vegetables- leaving a minimum of two years before replanting crops in the same place.
Complete winter digging of bare beds and cover the ground to warm beds for early crops.
Open greenhouse vents on mild days
Clean greenhouses, staging, pots and seed-trays for the coming growing season.
Sowing and growing
Apply winter washes to fruit trees to control overwintering pests.
Start ‘chitting’ tubers of early potatoes in trays in a cool, light, frost-free location.
Sow broad beans in pots under cover.
Sow winter salads in a greenhouse or windowsill.
Sow summer brassicas and spinach on a windowsill to plant out in late February.
Aubergines can be sown under cover on a sunny windowsill from late January.
Bring potted runners of strawberries under glass for forcing.
Sow later sweet peas now and pot on autumn-sown sweet peas, pinching out the tip after 4 pairs of leaves have developed or when plants have reached 3.5 cms. Place on a sunny windowsill, in a cold frame or greenhouse.
Ensure brassicas are protected against pigeons by netting.
Begin forcing rhubarb for an early crop by placing a bucket or forcing jar over the crop.
Harvesting
Harvest parsnip, swede, sprouting broccoli, Brussels sprouts, leek and turnip.
Pruning
Prune overgrown blackcurrant bushes- remove a third of the old, weak or unproductive stems to ground level to encourage new basal shoots.
Prune freestanding apples and pears, maintaining an open centre. Do not remove more than 20% of the crown in one winter
Prune gooseberries, redcurrants and whitecurrants by removing dead wood and low lying shoots. Prune last year’s growth of the main stems by about a half. Prune all side-shoots back to one to three buds from their bases.
Prune grapevines before mid January.
Gardening for wildlife
Regularly replenish bird feeders.
Clear out bird boxes by removing old nests and rinse out boxes.
Maintaining soil and structures and planning ahead
Prepare for early vegetable crops by warming soil before sowing, covering seedbeds with polythene or cloches.
Keep off wet soils to avoid compaction. Use long boards as walkways, to spread your weight.
If the soil isn’t too wet, start to dig in overwintered green manures (e.g. Grazing Rye, Winter Tares or Overwinter Mix sown previous August to November) as the frost should have killed them off.
Continue to tidy up and re-cut grass path edges if the grass has encroached on your plot.
Continue to add layers of un-composted stable manure to your heap.
Apply 2” layer of well-rotted garden manure (Country Natural ) or garden compost around perennial crops such as Jerusalem artichokes and rhubarb.
Club root is a fungal infection that affects the roots of brassicas and is endemic on allotment sites. To reduce the risk of infection, apply lime to the soil at 270g per sq m, 8oz per sq yd. where brassicas are to be grown. Do not add composted manure at the same time. Calcified Seaweed can be used as a natural alternative to lime, fork it in 140g per sq yard / metre about a week before planting.
Apply general fertilizers such as Growmore, (inorganic) or fish, blood and bone or seaweed (organic). Poultry Manure pellets are a non-chemical alternative to Growmore. They are slower to release their nutrient content, some of which will not become available until the soil warms up.
Organic Rock Dust and Bio Char soil improvers replace minerals in the soil lost to leaching..
Top-dress all tree and soft fruit with sulphate of potash.
Clean pots and trays by scrubbing in hot, soapy water before starting to sow new seeds. Pests and diseases can overwinter in old potting compost, surviving to damage newly emerging seedlings.
Prepare a new asparagus bed by digging in well-rotted manure and order asparagus crowns
Sowing and growing
Chit potato tubers in a light, cool, frost- free place.
Outdoors, sow broad beans, spring garlic, peas and Jerusalem artichokes.
If mild, also sow spinach outdoors.
Sow sweet peas under cover in deep pots or Root-trainers.
Pot on and pinch out autumn-sown sweet peas to encourage side-shoots to form View on Gardener’s World
At the end of the month sow tomatoes under cover.
Sow sweet and chilli peppers from mid February in a heated propagator or sunny windowsill. (Chillies need 21 degrees to germinate.)
Sow radishes in cold frame or greenhouse beds.
Sow aubergines in a heated propagator or sunny windowsill.
Sow celeriac in deep modules in a heated propagator or sunny windowsill.
Sow cabbage under cover.
Sow early leeks in deep pots under cover.
Sow early lettuce and keep in cold frame or greenhouse for earlier harvest.
Sow hardy annuals for companion planting such as calendula and tagetes indoors for earlier blooms.
Sow mustard and cress in a small seed tray on a warm windowsill for pickings in just a few weeks.
Spray dormant fruit trees and bushes with plant oil-based winter tree wash to kill overwintering eggs of aphid pests.
Force rhubarb for sweeter, earlier stems by covering crowns with straw and then a container, such as an upside down bucket, to exclude light.
Harvesting
Purple sprouting broccoli and kale may be possible to harvest.
This month, complete pruning of apple and pear trees, gooseberries, redcurrants and prune out a quarter of blackcurrants’ older growth at ground level.
Prune autumn raspberries, cutting all canes down to the ground.
Pruning
If summer-fruiting raspberries have grown above their supports, cut back to one or two buds above the top wire.
After pruning, apply a general-purpose fertilizer to tree, bush and cane fruit and mulch with well-rotted manure or garden compost.
Start pruning bush roses at the end of the month.
Vine pruning must be completed by the middle of the month.
Gardening for Wildlife
Continue to top up bird feeders. Avoid giving large foods, such as peanuts, as nesting time approaches.
Put up nesting boxes.
Avoid turning the compost heap until mid-spring as it could be sheltering hibernating frogs, small mammals and insects.
Maintaining soil and structures and planning ahead
Continue to clear all plant debris from plots. Do not add blighted tomatoes to your compost, but burn or take to the dump.
Empty compost heaps and use the well-rotted dark crumbly material.
Apply a 5cm layer of well rotted compost or manure to bare plots or cover bare areas with brown cardboard weighed down with damp grass clippings.
Prepare a winter compost trench for next season’s moisture loving plants such as sweet peas, runner beans or squashes. Dig a trench a spade deep and fill with kitchen vegetable waste covering each additional layer with soil.
Sowing and planting
Continue to sow overwintering broad beans.
Sow hardy peas either straight into the ground under fleece or 3 to a 9”pot to be planted out when the roots reach the bottom.
Sow a gutter of peas in the green house or under cloches for salad or risotto at Christmas time.
Sow cut-and-come-again salads in a sheltered spot or green house.
Finish planting onion sets and garlic.Garlic needs a chilling period so plant now. With current wet winters plant on a ridge to aid drainage.
Sow dill, chives and parsley now on a sunny windowsill.
Order bare root trees now for the best selection.
Fix grease bands to fruit trees to protect against winter moth. To help control pests and diseases spray fruit trees with winter wash on a calm, dry day.
Once leaves have dropped and before bud break in February spray fruit trees with winter wash on a calm, dry day. Spraying helps to reduce overwintering pests.
Start winter pruning of apples and pears.
Keep overwintering brassicas covered with netting to prevent pigeon damage.
Stake tall brassicas against wind damage.
Sow green manures early in the month such as grazing rye.
Clean the greenhouse to maximise light levels and before the water is turned off in December.
Harvesting
Start to harvest winter cabbage, Brussels sprouts, leeks and kale. Wait until after frosts for parsnips as they will be sweeter.
Pruning
Begin winter pruning of apples, pears and vines.
Prune overgrown blackcurrant bushes- remove a third of the oldest stems to ground level.
Fruited canes of blackberries and hybrid berries such as tayberries and loganberries should be pruned to ground level.
Gardening for wildlife
Remove surplus dead leaves from ponds to prevent decomposition pollution.
Clean out bird boxes of old nesting material so they may be used as winter roosts.
Maintaining soil and structures and planning ahead
Continue to clear the ground of this summer’s growth, weeding as you go.
Turn the compost heap to speed its decomposition.
Compost fallen leaves in hessian bags. Compost pea and bean foliage,but leave the roots in the ground as they contain nitrogen.
Plan where you will grow brassicas next year. Manure the area now and lime in the spring if the ph level is below 7.
To maximise light levels and reduce harbouring of bugs, clean the green house with eco-friendly detergent. Garden disinfectant such as Jeyes Fluid can be used in a greenhouse or a sulphur candle if resident bugs are suspected.
Make a last cut on grass paths and reinstate beds where grass has encroached.
Apply grease bands around the trunks of fruit trees as a barrier to winter moths.
Order bare-rooted fruit trees to be delivered November onwards. (See guidance on website and contact Site Secretary)
Check that the bird netting on brassicas is secure in preparation for more wintry weather.
Collect seeds of plants that have not been harvested. Peas and beans save well. Collect directly from the plant on a dry day to avoid fungal rot and put straight into paper bags.
Sowing and planting
Winter salads and oriental greens can be sown in the green house or cold frame.
Sow over-wintering broad beans either directly or start under cover in pots or root-trainers.
Sow green manures such as rye, vetches or ryegrass to be dug in next February.
Plant overwintering onion sets and garlic. Soil must be well drained. Onion sets should just peep above the surface. If the ph is lower than 7 add a little calicified seaweed. Plant garlic planted 1.5- 2”deep, spaced 7” apart. Both benefit from onion fertilizer.
Plant daffodils, alliums and other spring bulbs for early spring flowering. (Hold off planting tulips till November.)
Sow sweet peas in a cold frame or unheated greenhouse for early summer flowering and showing. Sow in root trainers or 3” pots.
Plant out spring cabbage 6” apart.
Take hardwood cuttings, 1ft long, from gooseberries and currants. Plant in pots of compost.
Harvesting
Harvest winter squashes. Cut the squash carefully leaving a 2-3” stem. ‘Cure’ in a warm, dry place for 10-14 days, then in a cool, light place at around 50-55F until ready to eat. Many squash can be stored for up to 6 months.
Store disease-free apples, pears and potatoes in a cool, dry place.
Ensure carrots are protected with insect mesh as carrot flies are most damaging in late summer and autumn. Leave in the ground to harvest as needed.
Harvest maincrop potatoes. Check each tuber for disease or damage and do not store damaged tubers. Store in a cool, dry place. Let the tubers dry off before storing in jute, hessian or paper bags in a dark frost-free place.
Pruning
Lift and divide rhubarb plants that have been in situ for more than 5 years or are less productive. Keep and replant the newer outside growth and discard the centre.
Cut down asparagus stems as they turn yellow and mulch with well-rotted manure.
Clear away strawberry foliage to prevent build-up of pests and diseases.
Gardening for wildlife
Leave decorative perennial seed heads as food and habitats for wildlife
Maintaining soil and structures and planning ahead
Deep-dig out perennial weeds such as invasive bindweed and couch
grass. Keep weeding to prevent weeds seeding.
Begin to add well rotted manure
to bare areas.
Empty the compost bin by
bagging up compost from the bottom of the bin or heap. Store it
ready for use next spring and start a new mix.
Cut bean and pea plants away at
ground level when they have finished cropping. Leave the roots to
slowly release nitrogen back into the soil.
Empty the compost bin by
bagging up compost from the bottom of the bin or heap and store
ready for use next spring.
In the greenhouse, rake off the
top centimetre of soil to clear out any pests near the surface and
replace with grit. Next spring remove the grit and replace with
clean potting compost.
Sowing and growing
Spinach, coriander, rocket and parsley can all be sown until the middle of the month.
Sow fast-growing Oriental greens such as pak choi and mizuna.
Sow winter greens such as land cress, corn salad and hardy lettuce cultivars (including ‘Arctic King’ and ‘Valdor’) for spring picking. Sow kale for early spring harvesting and rocket for autumn harvesting.
Sow hardy annuals such as calendula officianalis in shallow drills for late spring flowering next year.
Sow green manures in vegetable beds that are to be left fallow for the winter. When dug in they conserve nutrients and improve soil texture.
Sow broad bean varieties such as Aquadulce, de Monica or Masterpiece Green Longpod in late September for harvesting in late May, early June.
Pot up strawberry runners to make new plants for next summer or plant out new strawberries.
Plant out spring cabbage.
Plant overwintering onion sets.
Plant daffodil bulbs for early spring flowering.
Start planting trees at the end of the month while the soil is still warm.
Harvest maincrop potatoes. Check each tuber for disease or damage and do not store damaged tubers. Store in a cool, dry place. Let the tubers dry off before storing in jute, hessian or paper bags in a dark frost-free place.
Protect leafy vegetable crops with bird netting.
Cut out the fruited canes of summer raspberries, blackberries, loganberries and tayberries. Leave the new green canes as these will crop next year. Prune blackcurrants. After picking autumn-fruiting raspberries, do not prune. Wait until late winter/ early spring to cut all the canes down to ground level.
Continue to feed and water tomatoes. Pinch out the tips of cordon tomatoes to concentrate the plants energy into fruiting. Cropping can continue well into the autumn.
In the greenhouse sow herbs, salad leaves such as pea shoots, beetroot and chard for winter leaves.
Apply grease bands to fruit trees at the end of the month to deter winter moth.
Keep leeks protected with insect mesh against leek mining fly and leek moth.
Do not compost blight-affected foliage or tubers of potatoes and tomato plants or rose leaves affected with black spot.
Harvesting
Store onions that have been
dried in nets in well-ventilated conditions.
Continue to harvest sweetcorn.
Cut herbs for drying and use
throughout the winter.
Continue picking autumn
raspberries and blackberries.
Ensure carrots are protected
with insect mesh as carrot flies are most damaging in late summer
and autumn.
Water plants in the morning to
help prevent fungal diseases.
Continue harvesting apples and
pears. Store in a cool, well-ventilated place. Black, scabby
blotches, distortion and cracking on apples and pears indicates scab
disease. Affected fruit will not store well but can be eaten now.
Leave autumn squashes to ripen
on the plant as long as possible and remove the leaves to maximise
sunlight. Place fruit on a wooden board or tile to prevent soiling.
Fruits are ready when richly coloured and ring hollow when tapped.
Gardening for wildlife
While tidying up the plot,
be sure to leave some seeded flower heads to provide winter food for
birds. Leave some areas of dead vegetation for insect life over
winter.
Birds now start to look for
food for the winter months so keep bird feeders topped up.
In ponds, thin out oxygenating
and floating plants. Leave debris at the side of the pond overnight
so creatures can return to the water. If the pond is near deciduous
trees, scoop out the leaves before they sink to the bottom.
Check what produce you may have to enter in the Autumn Show or donate to the produce stall.
Green manures such as
Mustard and Phacelia and Grazing Rye can be sown now.
Continue regular weeding to
avoid build-up of work later.
Sowing and Growing
Sow oriental vegetables such
as mizuna, pak choi and mustard greens for salad leaves- they bolt
less at this time of year.
Sow parsley to last through
till spring on a sunny windowsill.
Sow Swiss chard and perpetual
spinach at the beginning of the month.
Make a last sowing of beetroot
at the beginning of the month.
Sow fast-growing ‘catch
crops’ for autumn use, such as radish, lettuce, rocket and
turnips.
Plant out winter brassicas,
broccoli, kale and cabbbages in soil which has been limed at least 6
weeks before, to reduce club root infestations.
Plant new strawberries now,
either as detached runners or new plants.
In dry weather keep runner
beans well-watered twice a week to aid setting.
To reduce risk of tomato
blight, water directly onto the roots not the leaves.
Feed courgette plants weekly
with a high potash liquid feed to continue fruiting.
Summer prune trained fruit
trees such as fans, espaliers and cordons.
Prune plum and damson trees
after fruiting. On grape vines shorten fruit bearing branches to two
leaves beyond the fruit bunch.
Prune out fruited canes of
summer raspberries.
Tie in new canes on raspberries
and blackberries.
On grape vines shorten fruit
bearing branches to two leaves beyond the fruit bunch.
Cut back chives if showing
signs of rust and new shoots will quickly appear. Remove mint plants
showing signs of rust. The disease will persist over winter and
re-infect new plants next year.
Pick off and destroy rosemary
leaf beetle which are active at this time of year.
In the greenhouse avoid
splashing water onto leaves. Moisture triggers spore germination of
fungal diseases.
Harvesting
Harvest sweet corn when a
grain exudes milky juice when tested with a fingernail and the
whiskers are brown.
Harvest onions and shallots
when the stems are dry and papery.
Start harvesting runner beans,
parsnips and cucumbers when ready.
Complete harvesting of second
early potatoes and begin to harvest main crop potatoes as they begin
to flower.
Harvest early ripening apples
and pears.
Harvest carrots, but leave
protective insect mesh on carrots until autumn.
Gardening for wildlife
Leave some flower seed heads
on plants as source of food for wildlife.
Cut and shake ripe seed heads
of annuals over suitable patches of bare soil for flowers next year.
Hoe off weeds on bare soil,
water well then cover with mulches to prevent moisture-loss. For
instance, pile grass clippings onto layers of newspaper.
Do not leave soil bare for any
length of time. Green manures, Crimson Clover, White clover,
Phacelia, Summer Quick Fix can all be sown now.
Add material to compost heaps,
mix greens (nitrogen rich) with browns (carbon rich) at 50/50 ratio.
Water heaps if dry and turn to speed up decomposition.
Sowing and Growing
In early July continue to
sow beetroot, chard, perennial spinach, kohl rabi and turnips for
autumn harvesting.
Sow dwarf French beans.
Sow kale for early spring
harvesting and rocket for autumn harvesting.
Sow basil under cover until the
middle of the month.
Sow beetroots Choggia or
Burpees Golden for autumn eating.
Plant specially prepared potato
tubers for Christmas crop.
Finish planting out leeks.
Remove the main shoot on cordon
tomatoes where they hit the greenhouse roof, or a leaf or two above
the seventh flower truss and continue feeding once a week.
Water soft fruit and fruit
trees during dry spells to encourage good fruit development.
Water courgettes consistently
so they continue to flower and crop.
Mulch brassicas after rain with
composted stable manure to lock in moisture and nutrients and lessen
the effect of club root.
At end of month chop back
perennial herbs such as chives, sorrel, marjoram to encourage
fresher leaves within a few weeks. If left to flower they may lose
flavour.
Pinch out climbing beans once
they reach the top of supports.
Prune cherries and plums after
fruiting. Remove weak, damaged and crossing branches.
Thin overcrowded apples, pears
and plums to get larger and better quality fruit.
Harvesting
Pick black, red and white currants and summer-fruiting raspberries.
Courgettes, spinach, cucumbers, beetroot , French beans, salad crops and greenhouse tomatoes can be harvested.
Continue digging second early potatoes.
Once harvesting of summer fruited raspberries is finished, cut old fruited canes to ground level and tie in new, healthy canes to supports.
After harvesting, summer-prune red and white currants and gooseberries. Trim back all gooseberry side shoots to 3 or 4 buds from their point of growth and cut out shoots that cross into the middle of the bush.
Gardening for Wildlife
Thin out vigorous
oxygenating plants in ponds, leaving them on the side to allow
pondlife to crawl back into water. Keep around 30% of the surface
free of weed.
Continue to hand-weed or hoe
regularly to keep on top of weeds.
Dig deep to remove highly
invasive bind weed as it appears.
Continue to mow or clip grass
paths weekly.
If you have sown green manure,
dig it in this month to fix the nitrogen in the soil.
In the greenhouse ensure
adequate shading. Check night time temperatures and close door on
cold nights. On hot days keep greenhouse temperatures down by using
maximum ventilation and damp down greenhouse floors to increase
humidity.
Use insect-proof mesh over
carrots to prevent carrot fly attacking carrots. Ensure it is
well-pegged down, not leaving any gaps.
Use insect-proof mesh over
leeks to prevent leek moth damaging leeks. Ensure it is well-pegged
down, not leaving any gaps.
Sowing and Growing
Direct-sow courgettes.
Sow radicchio in drills for
autumn salad leaves.
Sow fennel and oriental greens
such as mizuna and pak choi. June sowings reduce the risk of
bolting.
Successionally sow salads,
rocket and basil etc every two to three weeks for continuous
picking.
Make a late sowing of peas for
an autumn crop.
Sow overwintering carrots such
as Autumn King or Chantenay.
Quick-maturing radishes or
salad leaf crops can be sown between brassica rows.
Quick-germinating annuals, such
as cosmos, that attract insect pollinators can still be sown.
Sow
wallflowers for next year.
Water potatoes well for
good-sized tubers and reduced problems with scab. (Remember to
target-water, not spray, to avoid water wastage.)
Water tomatoes regularly and
evenly. Uneven watering can cause cracked fruit and blossom end rot.
Regularly pinch outside shoots on cordon tomatoes and tie in plants
to supports.
Feed every 10-14 days with a liquid fertilizer,
changing to a high potash fertilizer once the first fruits begin to
set.
Plant out sweet corn 16”
apart in blocks, not rows, to aid wind pollination.
Continue planting out or
direct-sow runner and French beans.
Transplant pencil-thick leeks
now into 6” deep holes.
Plant out pumpkins, squashes in
well manured ground. Plant out outdoor cucumbers and peppers.
Protect with fleece on cold nights.
Keep fruit bushes well-watered.
(Target-water, not spray, to avoid water wastage.) Protect soft
fruit from bird attack by netting securely and tie in new raspberry
and blackberry canes.
Continue to check for sawfly
larvae on gooseberries. Hand pick off.
Remove strawberry runners
during the early part of summer, to avoid energy being diverted from
the developing fruit.
On plum trees, after the ‘June
drop’ of excess developing fruits, thin the fruits to prevent
overladen branches breaking.
Harvesting
Continue to regularly harvest established asparagus – mid April to mid June. If asparagus growth is weak, apply a general fertilizer of fish, blood and bone.
First, second and salad potatoes may be ready for harvesting. Tubers should be ready when plants begin to flower.
Harvest broad beans from the bottom of the plant up. Once the plant is harvested, cut off the stems and dig the roots back into the soil to make use of the captured nitrogen.
Harvest early peas. Put unused pea pods and foliage into the compost heap or dig into the soil to provide nitrogen rich nutrients to the soil.
Gardening for Wildlife
If broad beans are affected
by blackfly, rub off or spray with a jet of water to remove them
rather than using insecticides.
Create a cool, damp spot for
amphibians and their prey to take shelter in by building a log pile
in a shady corner. Half bury the bottom logs and fill nooks and
crannies with leaves.
Add a bee house to your plot or
garden, placing it in a south-facing spot but not in direct
sunlight.
Select single forms of annual
flowers as these provide more pollen for bees. Integrate annual
flowers into the vegetable beds to attract beneficial insects such
as bees and hoverflies.
Reduce the use of herbicides,
fungicides and insecticides if possible.
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