October Garden Jobs and Allotment Tasks

Do you want to know what to do in the garden and allotment in October? Here we have listed all the October Garden Jobs that need doing.

Well, it’s now October and the summer has disappeared. We are now in Autumn. There will not be much growth in the garden and allotment this month so it’s important to start clearing down the garden and allotment. Now is a perfect time to start preparing it for next year. The weather can still be warm so it’s ideal to get it all done before the cold, frost and snow comes. Find out your October Garden jobs here.

You can find out what to sow and grow in October in our useful gardening guide here.

Allotment and Kitchen Garden Book

Are you starting an allotment or planning on growing your own fruit, vegetables, herbs, and flowers in a kitchen garden? If so we highly recommend the book Allotment Month By Month. This does exactly what it does on the cover to help you with what you should be doing in the allotment and kitchen garden each month. Below you can see the link for Amazon where you can purchase the book directly. This book is extremely popular with all allotment holders as you will read in the reviews:-

You can check out all the allotment and kitchen garden books we recommend here.

October Vegetable Garden Jobs

Summer may have gone and autumn is here but there are still lots of jobs to do in the kitchen garden and allotment this month. It’s a great time to prepare before the cold months come and get it ready for next year. Here you can find out all the allotment jobs for October.

Asparagus – This can be cut back now. Cut the stems to about 6cm tall.
Beans – Harvest the beans that you have left on. Cut the plants off at the base and leave the roots in the ground. Like peas, they add nitrogen back into the soil.
Cauliflowers – Protect them from winter frosts by covering them with a cloche.
Peas – Harvest the last of your peas this month. Cut them off at the roots and leave the roots in the ground as this adds nitrogen back into the soil
Pepper Plants – Take any ripe peppers off the plant. If you have any unripe peppers you can hang them upside down in the greenhouse to ripen.
Pumpkins – Harvest these this month. Store them ready for Halloween. These need picking before the first frost as it will make them rot.
Tomato plants – Take off any ripe tomatoes from the plants then hang them upside down in the greenhouse to ripen. You could always make green tomato chutney.

October Fruit Garden Jobs

October is quite an important month in the fruit garden. You will be harvesting the rest of your apples and pears this month. You will be getting your fruit trees ready for the dormant seasons. Next month will be when we start pruning them.

Apples:- Pick the rest of your apples this month. To see if they are ready to pick put them in your hand and gently twist if they come off they are ready but if they don’t do not pick yet.
Apple Tree:- Put a fruit grease band around the trunks of apple trees this will prevent winter months as the caterpillars will eat all your spring flowers.
Fruit Cages:- Take off any netting this month. This will stop it from getting damaged from snow. It also lets the birds in and eat any insects that could be laying eggs through winter.
Fruit Trees:- Paint a winter wash on the trunks of all your fruit trees this will stop any winter pests hiding on the tree.
Raspberries:- Summer and autumn raspberries can be cut back this month. Autumn raspberries can be cut to the ground level but only cut back the summer raspberry canes that have fruit on them. Do not cut back on this year’s new canes.
Rhubarb:- Now is the time to split any rhubarb plants that are too crowded together. You can divide any and keep the healthiest pieces. Replant straight away.
Strawberry Plants:- Now is the time to plant any new strawberry runners or new plants. This will give them that head starts to growing delicious fruits for next year.

October Flower Garden Jobs

October is about preparing the beds and clearing away any old plants ready for Spring. You can plant your bulbs this month. Check out our guide on what you can plant here.

Begonia – Lift the tubers this month and store them in a dry shed until next year.
Dahlia -Lift Dahlia tubers and store them in a dry place ready to plant next year.
Gladioli – Cut back gladioli and dig up the corns and keep them dry ready for next years planting.
Hedges – Now is an ideal time to plant new hedges.
Perennials – Cut back any old foliage.
Roses – Prune roses back for the winter. Clear away any old leaves as this can cause diseases.

Now you know all the October Garden Jobs and Allotment Tasks that need doing this Month in the allotment and the garden.

If you are looking at what to plant in the garden in September you can check out our list here. Find out what jobs need doing in November or check out all the other months here to stay ahead of yourself.