Month by month
Garden jobs for October: what to do in the garden
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This month | This month in October |
October brings shorter days, cooler nights and the first proper frosts in many inland and northern areas, although coastal gardens and the south-west often stay frost-free until November. Leaves start to colour and fall, and the garden slows down. This is still a rewarding month for planting, because the soil is moist and holds some warmth, giving roots time to settle before winter. Pick a dry, bright day for tidying, but resist the urge to cut everything down: a little untidiness helps wildlife and protects plant crowns over winter.
Flowers and borders
Carry on planting spring bulbs. Alliums, daffodils and crocuses can all go in now, and you can plant up layered pots with tulips at the bottom, daffodils in the middle and crocuses on top for a long spring display. Tulips can wait until November, when colder soil reduces the risk of the fungal disease tulip fire.
After the first frost blackens their foliage, cut dahlias down to about 15cm. In mild areas with free-draining soil, you can leave them in the ground under a thick mulch of compost or bark. In colder regions or on heavy clay, lift the tubers, let them dry upside down for a few days, then store them in barely damp compost in a frost-free place. Do the same with tender cannas and gladioli.
October is a great month to plant shrubs, roses, trees and hedging. Container-grown plants can go in any time the soil isn’t frozen or waterlogged, but autumn planting means less watering next summer. Cut back perennials that have collapsed or look untidy, but leave sturdy seed heads such as those of echinacea, phlox and ornamental grasses standing for winter interest. Plant wallflowers and forget-me-nots alongside bulbs for spring colour.
Vegetables
Harvest the last runner beans and leave the roots in the ground, as they add nitrogen to the soil. Cut down asparagus foliage once it has yellowed, and mulch the bed. Plant garlic cloves and overwintering onion sets, and sow hardy broad beans in milder areas for an early crop next year. Clear away spent crops and cover empty beds with compost or a mulch of leaves to protect the soil from heavy rain.
Fruit
Finish picking apples and pears before strong winds knock them off. Store only unblemished fruit, and check it regularly. Grease bands wrapped around the trunks of fruit trees help trap winter moth females climbing up to lay eggs. Plant new fruit bushes such as currants and gooseberries, and cut out fruited canes on blackberries and hybrid berries, tying in the new canes.
Lawns
Rake fallen leaves off the lawn regularly, as a thick layer blocks light and causes yellow patches. Carry on mowing while the grass is growing, but raise the blades. Finish any scarifying and aerating early in the month so the grass has time to recover before winter.
Wildlife
Collect fallen leaves into a wire cage or black bin bags with a few holes punched in, and leave them for a year or two to make leaf mould, a wonderful soil improver. Leave a pile of leaves and twigs in a quiet corner as a potential hedgehog hibernation spot. Check bonfire heaps before lighting them, or better still, compost the material. Start putting out food for birds as natural supplies decline.
Indoors and under cover
Move tender plants such as agapanthus in pots, citrus and tender salvias into a greenhouse, conservatory or porch. Insulate greenhouses with bubble wrap and check that heaters work. Ventilate on mild days to avoid grey mould. Pot up bulbs such as hyacinths and paperwhite narcissi for indoor flowers at Christmas.
Plants looking good this month
Autumn colour peaks this month in many areas. Look for fiery foliage on Japanese maples and amelanchier, bright berries on rowan and crab apples, and the last flowers of Michaelmas daisies and hardy fuchsia. In shady spots, the marbled leaves and pink flowers of Cyclamen hederifolium brighten the ground under trees.
Looking back or ahead? See September jobs or move on to November jobs.
From the plant finder
In flower in October
Good time to plant
Due for pruning
Grow your own in October
Sow now
Plant out
Ready to harvest
Problems to watch for in October
Spotted something else? Diagnose it by symptom.