October Gardening
By now autumn is beginning to make itself felt. In mild autumns the frosts may have not yet started but it is likely that there will have been a few, even if only light ones. This is your last opportunity to check that all plants that can be affected by frost have been lifted and stored or given some other form of protection.
You should, of course, always look after tools but at this time of the year, as the autumn rains start they may get muddier than usual. Because you may put them away and not use them again this year it is worth making doubly sure that they are clean and oiled to protect them from rusting. Do not just clean the metal parts, wipe down the handles as well. The same applies to any machines that you have been using.
In the fruit and vegetable gardens there is more produce to be harvested and stored. Storage can be a problem if you have not got a suitable outbuilding bulit of brick or stone. Garages and wooden sheds are suitable alternatives but they may get cold with the temperatures dropping below freezing in midwinter. If you can, line them withpolystyrene or use a thermostatically controlled heater to keep the temperature just above freezing. Another possibility is to use a defunct chest freezer. This will keep the frost out when the lid is closed but it should be closed only when the weather turns really cold. At other times it should be allowed to circulate freely around all stored produce.
September Gardening
Autumn is a mellow time, colours change and the pace of garden annual cycle slows down. It is also a season of flavours, wonderful juicy blackberries come into season and apples and pears are coming into their own.
The lazy time is nearly over and it is time to start gardening again. The gardener must always be thinking ahead and planning. There is no such thing as instant gardening. Forethought and preparation are needed if you want to have a productive and attractive garden next year.
Now, as autumn approaches is the time to start tidying and getting the garden ready for winter. It is also time to start preparing the ground for the following year. This not only gives the soil time to weather but also allows any organic material to finish rotting down. Many plants, vegetables in particular, prefer to be planted into soil that was manured some months earlier rather than into ground that has only recently been treated.
Hever Castle
Discover 700 years of history at this romantic 13th century double moated castle, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, set in the heart of the Kent countryside. Explore this quintessential English garden with glorious formal and natural landscape. Wander down the topiary walk through pergolas of roses, climbing shrubs and perennial planting into the Italian gardens filled with magnificent classical statuary. Absorb the delightful scent that pervades in the walled rose garden and walk along the herbaceous border, a wonderful paintbox of colour. Enjoy the 38 acres boating lake, yew and water mazes, cascades and fountains.
