News - Page 82

Lift and store dahlia tubers as soon as the frost blackens the stems. In milder areas with free-draining soil, you can risk leaving them outdoors over winter, as dahlias can cope with a little frost.

Plant a grapevine now in a sunny spot and you can make the most of the warm soil and damp weather to settle it in beautifully by next spring when it bursts into growth again. Growing grapes is becoming hugely popular these days, as the summers get warmer and last longer. All they need is a sheltered spot, ideally against a wall to hold in the warmth, or failing that a greenhouse to make sure those luscious fruits ripen.

The garden is ablaze in October, with berrying shrubs laden with brilliantly colourful jewels and trees turning every shade of crimson, copper and ochre. But winter isn’t far off now, so make your garden is tucked up and the harvest gathered in with our list of jobs to do this month.

Scarifying is just a fancy word for removing all the debris which has built up at the base of grass shoots during the year. It’s mostly just dead grass and moss, but it can form into a dense thatch up to 1-2cm thick which prevents air from circulating and chokes your grass.

The Royal Horticultural Society is predicting a bumper haul of berries this autumn, as a warm and dry start to the year has combined with summer rains to create optimum conditions for berries to form.

Dry and store chillies as soon as they’ve coloured up fully. By now they’ll have developed their full heat and flavour and as soon as the temperature starts to drop they’ll need harvesting before the cold weather sets in.