Garden notes for October 2026.
The drought and high summer temperatures have made gardening difficult this year. Welcome rain and more normal temperatures have started to heal the distressed plants and lawns but it will take time. Nature has a wonderful resilience, but it requires patience. Even now as we go into the middle of autumn in October, the weather can be very unpredictable. We may well get a ‘St. Luke’s’ summer around the 18th of the month, equally we may get damaging frosts and gales at any time. So be prepared and start getting in all the tender plants, put the winter chrysthantemums into their quarters. One thing is for certain, and that is that the days will be drawing in. British Summer Time ends on the last weekend of October (Sunday 25th October) so the plants are gradually going into their winter hibernation.
Autumn is also harvest time for the gardener, although farmers seem to get their harvest in earlier and earlier. In the garden, all fruit crops should be picked and stored regularly. With apples and pears the test whether they are ready to pick is to lift the fruit gently with slight pressure on the stalk. If it comes away easily – it’s ready. It pays to pick over a tree several times as not all fruit mature at the same time.
Most houseplants will be slowing down their growth. Water and feed less frequently. Cacti, in particular, should be kept dry and frost-free during the winter.
Plant out wallflowers, polyanthus, sweet williams, foxgloves and other similar biennials for a good display in the spring. In the past, my efforts with the standard wallflower have been notable in their poor performance, often due to being blown about by the wind
Once the ground has been cleared it is a good idea to break it up. If you have heavy clay (as most of us do round here) the best way is to use a spade and to leave it with large clods that will break down over the winter with weathering. If you break the soil down too much at this time of year, it will just become a ‘pudding’ and you will have to start all over again in the spring.
After the first frosts have browned off the tops of dahlias, cut them down to within 12 cm (9”) of ground level. Mark the variety with a label, and lift the tubers so that they can be dried under cover and then stored in a frost-free place for the winter.
If you want early sweet peas, now is the time to start them off. For best result sow one or two seeds in rooting pots as sweet peas have an exceptionally long tap root. Germinate the seeds in the greenhouse with gentle, consistent warmth. Once they have emerged sweet peas can be kept outside in a cold frame, only needing protection from the worst frosts by having a cover over them.