October gardening guide

With winter quickly fizzling into a distant memory, it’s time to start thinking about how to take your spring garden to the next level. Here’s a few tips from our inhouse gardening pros:

Grow your own salad greens

Spring is a wonderful time to pack your garden full of luscious salad greens. Loose-leaved lettuces are fantastic and just keep giving as the weather starts to warm up. Not only will they make your garden look lush but you’ll also treat yourself to fresh, crunchy salads on demand.

Broccoli

There’s nothing quite as rewarding as growing your own broccoli, and the good news is that if you plant now you can squeeze in another harvest before the advent of summer’s pesky white butterfly and diamond-backed moths. For a little extra protection don’t shy away from the occasional spritz of regular BT (bacillus thuringiensis) which you can pick up at your local garden store.

Herbs – parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme

With the days getting sunnier and the weather warming up October is an ideal time to start planting herbs. Parsley is hardy which means its almost guaranteed to thrive. Sage, rosemary and thyme also love spring weather so plant now and you’ll be able to harvest sprigs in time for your Christmas roast. Other favourites include rocket, marjoram, dill and chives.

Use herbs to keep pests at bay

As your herbs thrive you can harvest a few sprigs and crush them between your fingertips. Tossing them around the garden will help keep pests at bay and protect leafy lettuces and other delicate crops.

Use mulsh for insulation

The sun may be shining but don’t forget, spring can still bring the occasional heavy downpour. For this reason it’s best to insulate your veggie gardens with a thick layer of mulch.

DIY bug protections

With temperatures on the rise garden pests like mealy bug, caterpillars and codling moths will quickly make their presence known. Nip them in the bud early and DIY remedies will work a treat. For example, aphids can be washed away with a spritz of soapy water. Just don’t forget to give your plants a rinse with the hose afterwards. If you’ve got slugs and snails why not enlist the grandkids to hunt them down? Prizes for who collects the most! You can also dust diatomaceous earth around the base of edibles.

Bees and beekeeping

Whether you want to harvest honey or simply boost pollination in your garden, beekeeping is an incredibly rewarding hobby. October is the perfect time to start thinking about taking it up, so why not see if there’s a local beekeeping club in your area?

 

Do you have any tried and tested October gardening tips? We’d love to hear from you so go ahead and share with the GrownUps community.