Crisp Autumn Days And Cool Chilly Mornings, A Stroll In The Garden Will Stop You Yawning
As I gaze out of the window I can understand why the garden may not be the first thing on your mind, the cold, dark, rainy days don’t exactly inspire or encourage you to venture out. Although having been a professional gardener for just over 55 years the changing seasons always bring a smile to my face. I have, for as long as I can remember loved being outside and especially when surrounded by plants and nature, the changing colours and stages of growth whether that's the first fresh green leaves of spring or the last golden leaves of autumn I am constantly amazed as plants follow this annual cycle year after year.
We are in the midst of what is called ‘bare root’ planting season, ‘bare root’ is a term given to plants that have been lifted direct from the ground, usually grown in specially prepared areas where young plants have been ‘lined out’ in order for them to develop, as opposed to being grown in a pot. The advantage this technique offers is that the plant is, first of all used to growing in an open site, and its root system has developed naturally rather than in the confines of a pot, which can cause the plant roots to spiral, unable to develop naturally. In addition to a naturally developed root system the plants are often cheaper due to the fact that they don’t have a pot and haven’t been grown in a specially formulated compost. With the pressure on nurseries to grow their plants in peat free compost and the costs of pots and packaging, many are turning to offering ‘open ground’ plants. Traditionally, this practice has been mainly applied to woody plants such as trees, shrubs, bulbs and hardy perennials, grown in open soil or prepared beds, with some nurseries mastering the technique of growing perennials in sand beds.
Perhaps the most advantageous reason for purchasing open ground plants is that they are usually considerably cheaper than containerised stock, although it is important to look after them differently if you are unable to plant them straight away. Most arrive carefully packed with their roots sometimes wrapped in straw to protect them and stop them drying out too quickly. If your plants arrive and are dry it is a good idea to plunge them in a large container filled with water for an hour or so to allow the roots to have a good drink. If you are delaying planting for just a couple of days then they can be stored in a cool frost free place, wrapped in their original packaging with the roots kept moist. If this period is likely to be for longer than a couple of weeks than it is a good idea to excavate a trench in the vegetable garden, large enough to accommodate the rootball, place the plants in the trench, if they were wrapped in straw place that over the roots and backfill with soil, firm gently and if the soil is dry, water well. Plant in their final position as soon as you can, avoiding frosty weather or frozen ground.
Lawns have had a fairly challenging summer, many taking on the colour reminiscent of straw, although by now most of the grass areas and lawns I see are back to their green colour. Whilst they may look fine there is no doubt that the very dry summer will have stressed the lawn so a little aftercare at this time of year will help prepare it for next spring.
Over summer your mowing activities, (even if your mower has a collection box), some clippings will have inevitably been dropped onto the grass. In addition to this grass like every other plant looses some of its leaves which die back and create what is called ‘thatch’ a mat of dead grass that builds up just below the top growth. Removing this will allow air to get to the soil surface and avoid creating a sponge that will hold water and potentially be a home for disease which could weaken your lawn. Using a wire rake to remove ‘thatch’ is hard work especially if your lawn is quite large so consider hiring an electric or power scarifier which will do the job in a fraction of the time. Any material you remove by doing this can be put on the compost heap and will rot down over the coming months. Any bare patches that appear as a result can be repaired with either turf or reseeding but make sure if you reseed that the ground is not frozen, ideally complete this before the end of the month or wait until spring when the soil starts to warm up. An autumn fertiliser is a good idea but never apply a ‘feed and weed’ at this time of year as this will weaken the grass too much.
Try to avoid walking on your lawn during the winter months especially if it is frosty or frozen.
Most of our vegetables and fruit are harvested and stored in a cold garage that has no windows, it is dark but the temperature never falls below freezing so it is perfect for storing. Vegetables that are still in the ground are fine as regards frost, leeks, parsnips, broccoli, kale, cabbage and of course that gastronomic delicacy brussels sprouts, will tolerate any amount of cold. Indeed parsnips and brussels sprouts benefit from a frost as it seems to enhance their flavour. The only challenge we face in our garden are the pigeons, they will devastate a crop of brassicas, grazing on the leaves of cabbage, sprouts broccoli and kale, so we have to net ours to keep them off. A few stout canes with an old tennis ball (drilled) pushed onto the top of the cane helps you pull the net over. We also use steel road pins around the edges of the rows to hold the net in position before placing bricks or wooden planks around the edges to stop the wind lifting the net. Some gardeners use a scarer like cds hung on canes but the pigeons around us soon get wise and ignore them.
Happy gardening,
Martin
( December, replanting tired borders, shaping up your shrubs, settle down with a good book).
