My Allotment – October
October represents the transition between the heat and dryness of summer and the cold and dark days of winter. It is, however, an important month in the allotment, for a number of reasons.
It’s a good time to reflect on the successes and failures of the growing season and to plan ahead for next year. This past season has probably been the most challenging for growing vegetables for several years because of the drought. Most vegetables do well with plenty of sunshine, but a lack of rainfall is not good news. Watering is something I try to avoid because once you start you have to maintain it regularly because the roots of your crops tend to remain shallow and become even more exposed to the heat and dryness. The usual methods to mitigate against this are to incorporate plenty of rotted compost around the roots, which will help to retain moisture. I do this when planting my seed potatoes by digging a slit trench and filling it with the contents of the compost heap and any spent potting compost which I save from the previous season; for instance, grow bags which have been used for tomatoes. The seed potatoes are snuggled into the compost and then earthed over. This has worked well every year except for this year. I have just dug up the last of the maincrop potatoes and although the numbers were OK, they were small, probably on average half the size of what I would expect. On the plus side, there was hardly any slug damage, which I suspect was because they didn’t like the lack of moisture.
Other disappointments were courgettes, which had a low yield. I do make an exception in that I do give these some water via pots which I bury in the ground adjacent to the plant so that the water gets straight down to the roots. Despite this, they struggled, and I can only conclude that they required more water than I provided. On the other hand, the butternut squashes and pumpkins, which I planted using the same method, did OK.
Runner beans also were poor because they are a plant that originates from the rainforests of South America and consequently, they thrive in damp and warm conditions.
The positives were the brassicas, which coped well with the heat, and I had a good crop of cabbage and broccoli. Salad crops did well, as did carrots and leeks.
The other success from this year, and looking around the site this seems to be the norm, has been the soft fruit harvest. I think it’s fair to say that the drought conditions produced an early harvest of blackcurrants, strawberries, gooseberries, and blackberries. The star performers were the blackcurrants and gooseberries, which provided plenty of raw materials for jam making. We also made some blackcurrant gin, which was a real knockout (pardon the pun). The one disappointment was the raspberries, which struggled, but they are a fruit that likes warm and damp conditions, which they were deprived of.
So, looking forward to next year, the thing none of us can forecast is what the weather will serve up. The chances are we will have some more extremes of heat as this seems to be a trend, but who can say if we will experience another period of drought? Hopefully we won’t, but one thing I will be doing is seeking out drought tolerant varieties of vegetables, particularly potatoes. I shall also be incorporating a handful of vermiculate in the planting hole of the courgettes and squashes. This is sold in the allotment shop and is not very expensive, but will help retain moisture.
So, coming to the present day, there is no sign of cold weather and it has remained remarkably warm with frequent rain. It’s therefore the ideal time to sow crops which will be ready for spring. I sowed broad beans at the beginning of October, and they are already shooting. Garlic and onion sets can also be planted. I’m trying a variety of winter cabbage called Tundra this year which is doing really well and already starting to form hearts, so I’m looking forward to seeing how big they grow.
Don’t forget to press on with your plot tidy-up and dig over because once the ground gets wet the soil gets very sticky and difficult to work, and it’s best not to walk on it because it can get compacted.
Happy gardening!
Geoff Garrish
October Jobs
This month is the start of clearing your plot and getting ready for the next growing season, although it has not ended, as hopefully you have planted your over-winter vegetables ready for an early crop. Jobs that I have done include clearing my supports used for beans and tomatoes, compost all dead plant material, taking down any netting that is not needed, curing pumpkins and squashes. You can also now sow broad beans for next year and plant your garlic and onions. Remember to cover any autumn leaves with a fleece or cloche to protect from a frost.
This year I am experimenting with no dig planting. I have put down a good mound of compost from my bins mixed with bought compost. The mixture of cabbage, cauliflower and early sprouting broccoli were planted and straw used as a mulch. They, as you can see, are doing well.
For your winter vegetables, it is a time to earth up; Brussels sprouts become top-heavy, leeks and celery to help keep the stems blanched. Remember to remove any yellow leaves from plants, as this will encourage grey mould. One other job is to dig over any compact earth to help break it up and make planting easier for next year.
I hope you all had a good crop of vegetables.
Ian Wilson
