Six essential veg patch jobs every gardener should do in the next few weeks

-Credit: (Image: Getty Images/RooM RF)
-Credit: (Image: Getty Images/RooM RF)


As we welcome in the autumn, nature begins to slow down in preparation for the winter season. However, for all you keen gardeners, there's no time to slow down!

Particularly if you're planning to combat the cost of living crisis by cultivating your own vegetables, October is the moment to tackle some crucial tasks before the chilly weather truly kicks in.

Benedict Vanheems, a gardening expert from the GrowVeg YouTube channel, has outlined six essential tasks that should be completed this month. Luckily, most of them are quite straightforward!

First, Benedict says, you should take steps to protect your winter greens. You can lay garden fleece or a flattened-out cardboard box around growing plants to help protect them from frost, or smaller seedlings can be placed under a cloche. No need to buy expensive ones from the garden centre, simply cut off the bottom of a plastic bottle and carefully place the top half over your vulnerable plants.

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For those with a bit more ambition, you can safeguard raised beds with a makeshift polytunnel. Simply cut four bamboo lengths, approximately eight to ten inches long, and insert them into each corner of your raised bed.

Next, using blue alkathene water pipe which can be obtained inexpensively from local builders' merchants or ordered on Amazon create a couple of hoops of the same length and place them over the bamboo stakes. Ensure the hoops are high enough so you don't have to stoop too much when tending to the vegetables inside.

For larger vegetable patches requiring extra stability, Benedict suggests adding another, longer bamboo piece between the tops of the two hoops and securing it with twine or garden wire.

Finally, all that's left is to drape a large transparent polythene sheet over the top. The corners can simply be weighed down with bricks or large stones.

Summer may be over, but there's still plenty to do in the garden
Dead leaves will help balance your kitchen waste and make a perfect compost -Credit:Getty Images/iStockphoto

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Benedict advises, "What a clear plastic sheet will also do is help keep the soil much drier at what can be a very wet time of year. Whenever the weather is slightly milder it's worth just opening up either the sides or the ends a bit to let air in there to get some air flow. And that's really important because if it's stagnant air for too long, that can encourage moulds or plant diseases and obviously we don't want that."

Next, you need to harvest and "harden up" your winter squashes. Whether you've been growing butternut squash, pumpkin, or something more exotic the process is much the same.

Benedict explains: "Properly-cured squash should store for anywhere from two to six months."

Simply lay the harvested squash in a warm, but well-ventilated spot for a week or two, until the skin has hardened up.

Dead leaves will help balance your kitchen waste and make a perfect compost
Dead leaves will help balance your kitchen waste and make a perfect compost

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It's time for your last remaining tomatoes to come indoors too. If some are still green and unripe try popping them in a paper bag with a banana.

The gases given off by bands as they ripen will encourage many other fruits and veggies to follow suit.

Ripe apples should come in now too, a gentle "lift and twist" will tell you whether they're ready. They'll come off the stalk quite easily if they're ripe: "Wrap clean, intact blemish-free apples and fruits not ones you've dropped individually in newspaper and pack them into breathable boxes, then store them in a cool but frost-free place."

Important tasks for October consist of ensuring your greenhouse is sparkling clean if you're the proud owner of one. Inspect for any broken glass panes before thoroughly washing it down with a hose or pressure-washer.

Fallen leaves may seem like a bother, but they're more than just detritus to be collected. They can provide precious compost material whether you gather them up or simply let them decompose on your raised beds or borders.

"You've got to love compost," Benedict notes, "it's the lifeblood of any garden."