The days are getting shorter and now it is harvest time. You have been watching the development and now you can start tasting. Hopefully they taste as good as you have hoped they would.
Lawn
- Keep mowing the grass. When the temperature drops the grass will grow slower, which means that you can mow less frequently.
- Cut the lawn edges.
- You can scarify the lawn at the beginning of this month if you have done that in the spring, but it is not always necessary. If you have not scarified yet this year then at the beginning of this month is a good time to do it.
- After scarifying you can aerate the lawn. You can do this by pushing a garden fork about 10 cm (4 inches) deep into the soil in the areas where the ground is compacted and rock the fork back and forth.
- Re-sow bare patches.
- This is a perfect time to create new lawns from turf or seed.
- If you have fed the lawn in June then you can feed it now for the third and last time this year. Do this after scarifying.
Planting, moving and sowing
- This is a good time to plant perennials. They have time to develop enough roots to survive the winter.
- This is also a good time to move and plant trees and shrubs.
- You can move and divide perennials. Ornamental grasses are best moved and divided in springtime.
- You can buy and plant spring-flowering bulbs. Generally you can do this until December if it does not freeze.
- You can sow hardy annuals and perennials directly in the garden.
- Plants, shrubs, hedges and trees in containers can be planted all year round.
Pruning
- Prune raspberries after harvesting. The canes that have carried the fruits may be cut to the ground.
- Cut long, thin stems of the Wisteria back to about 15 cm from the main stem.
- Hedges can be trimmed.
Other
- Harvest seeds and store them somewhere dark and dry.
- Watch out for diseases and pests like snails and slugs.
- You can order bare-root plants.
- Look if plants need some extra staking.
- Check if the ties around the trees are not too tight or too loose.
- Harvest apples and pears.
- Remove weeds.
- Clean bird houses with hot water and green soap.