The Vegetable Plot - October

The weeds will keep you hoeing

Early October and planting spring cabbages from August sowings, earthing up celery and lifting parsnips to store before heavy frost threatens are old family gardening traditions. This month, crops in season include Jerusalem artichokes, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celeriac and endive to name but a few.

If you are keen on the vegetable patch you probably have lettuce, mushrooms parsnips and peas to add into the mix. If the frost is threatening you’ll probably want to lift your carrots, turnips and beetroots and fork up potatoes and leave them to dry before storing them. Cut the tops off turnips before you store them in a frost free place.

You can take hardwood cuttings of bush fruit now, including gooseberries, blackcurrants, red currants, white currants, figs and grapes. All this while you gather the remaining apples and pears to store as well.  While you’re at it, put greasebands around pear and apple tree trunks to trap winter moth grubs. And keep hoeing the weeds.

• Thin onion and turnip beds
• Plant under glass cauliflowers grown from seed
• Prick off cauliflowers
• Cut down asparagus foliage 
• Protect late crops with fleece and cloches
• Protect cauliflowers
• Plant garlic cloves
• Blanch endives