Why not make the first satisfying job this month one of planting tulips in what will be the sunniest spot. They like heavy soil lightened with some coarse grit and will reward you next spring with their variety and colour, especially when planted in a scheme with wallflowers and pansies.
Generally, you should be nearing the last mow of the season and time to put away the garden tractor or mower as far as the lawn is concerned. There may be some last jobs to do with accessories such as slitter attached to the lawn tractor and then you might want to get your machinery serviced – you may want to use it as a snow plough in the winter! Grass continues to grow in temperatures above 5º (41ºF) which may mean some final cuts with the cutting height set to about 4cm (1.5”).
Q. We have to walk across the lawn to the greenhouse and shed. In winter it becomes a muddy path and the grass disappears. Any suggestions?
A matured compost heap offers a big reward this month as you dig the goodness into the vegetable plot. A compost tumbler is another, fast, way to make compost to add to the cleared vegetable beds.
Ring the changes for a Sunday lunch or dinner with plump pheasant (which the butcher has prepared unless you’re a pheasant plucker) with pearl barley and garden veg. Serves 4