October is the time for gardeners to do essential groundwork, according to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), which has outlined several jobs to prepare gardens for 2027. These tasks range from improving soil condition and topping up the compost heap to planting and protecting fruit and vegetable plants.
Soil care and compost
The RHS experts said it is “time to do the ground work”, adding: “Some crops that have finished can be cleared and added to your compost heap. You can protect the soil by mulching with a layer of your own compost, which will improve the soil ready for next year.”
To further protect and improve soil, the RHS recommends sowing green manures such as winter field beans and grazing rye. In milder areas, Italian ryegrass can still be sown this month.
Planting fruit and vegetables
The RHS said this is a good time to plant fruit that has grown in pots and to place orders for bare-root stock for winter planting. It advised: “Select resilient, disease-resistant varieties suited to your local conditions.” It also recommended taking cuttings of whitecurrants, redcurrants and blackcurrants to create new plants for free, and digging up rooted layers of blackberries and hybrid berries.
In mild areas, overwintering broad beans can be sown in the ground, covered with cloches or re-used old or biodegradable fleece in colder areas for insulation and protection from pigeons. Overwintering pea varieties such as ‘Douce Provence’ or ‘Meteor’ can also be planted in mild areas. Spring cabbages can be planted but should be covered in tightly-fastened netting to protect them from pigeons and prevent wildlife becoming entangled. Overwintering onions planted now will yield a crop in early to mid-summer next year, and garlic cloves can also be planted.
Pruning and training
After harvesting cranberries, trim the plants. Cut down Jerusalem artichoke stems, leaving stubs about 8cm tall to mark their position. The RHS added: “Lay the cut stems over the soil to help insulate it, making the tubers easier to harvest during frosty weather.” Asparagus stems should be cut back when the foliage has turned yellow, with care taken as they have spines.
Protecting harvested produce
Regularly check stored apples and remove rotting fruit, and do the same with Brussels sprouts, removing yellowing leaves to prevent grey mould. Move citrus fruit under frost-free glass for the winter, reduce watering, and prepare the ground for new fruit trees, nuts, vines, canes and bushes. The RHS advised: “Autumn is also a good time to mulch under fruit trees and bushes with homemade garden compost or leaf mould.”
It added: “Dig up outdoor tomato plants and hang them upside-down in the greenhouse to encourage fruits to ripen. Any that don’t ripen can be used green in chutneys.” When clearing old pea and bean plants, cut off the tops for the compost heap and leave the roots in the soil, as they help return nitrogen and organic matter to the soil as they break down. The RHS advised: “Now is a good time to get ahead and prepare new asparagus beds for planting up in the spring.”
