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Wednesday 1 October 2014

The Vegetable Plot – October

The vegetable store


Time to lift carrots, beetroot and turnips if you haven’t already done so. Some vegetables like parsnips and celeriac can benefit from a touch of frost, so you can leave them in for a bit but lift when the hard frosts start.

Store vegetables you don’t need now in boxes of slightly moist sand or garden compost. Lift as well any remaining potatoes and let them dry before storing in paper bags or sacks. Remove any damaged ones to prevent rotting.


Plant spring cabbages from early August sowings. Cut back asparagus using garden shears, cutting the tops close to the soil. Cut back the yellow leaves and stems of globe artichokes as well. You can protect late crops such as French beans and courgettes, even tomatoes from light frost by covering with cloches or horticultural fleece.

Gather in the last of the apples and pears and in late October lift and store a supply of turnips in a frost proof place. Prune blackcurrants when the leaves have turned colour. Keep warm by digging over bare areas for future planting.

  • Start garlic cloves from seed bulbs in pots or modules in a cold frame 
  • Protect soft fruit with a fruit cage
  • Prick off cauliflower seedlings and plant in a ventilated cold frame
  • Ripen any peaches, nectarines and apricots grown under glass using artificial heat


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