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Here is our round-up of news, top tips and ideas to make the most of your garden this October!
The summer holidays are over and the days are getting shorter, which can only mean that autumn is here once again!
As misty mornings roll in and fallen leaves gather, our autumn-winter opening hours begin, and our on-site shops have everything you need to prepare your garden for the colder months ahead – with a unique range of gardening and DIY products!
• Prune roses – Cut back the soft tops of roses using sharp secateurs to protect them from disease, strong winds and frost. Ideally, reduce the height of each by a third.
• Collect seeds – Gather the seeds from hardy perennials, such as Astrantia, and sow them right away to grow indoors.
• Lift pots off the ground – Adding feet to outdoor pots helps to improve water drainage. A lack of drainage means that air gaps in the soil get blocked with water, which can cause the roots to rot and the plant to wilt.
• Protect half-hardy plants – Use fleece to protect half-hardy plants, such as Cosmos and Ricinus, or move them into a frost-free greenhouse.
• Clean and disinfect – October is a great time to tidy and disinfect nearly empty greenhouses ready to start moving certain plants inside, and bird boxes to prevent diseases.
• Tidy up borders – After collecting seeds, pruning, and lifting perennials where necessary, add mulch, leafmould or well-rotted manure to insulate plant roots over the winter and keep weeds at bay.
• Recycle rainwater – Keep your garden sufficiently watered in an environmentally friendly way by using a water butt to collect rainwater.
Visit one of our centres to pick up essential gardening tools!
From the 1st of October until March, our Midgley and Brigg centres will be operating under our autumn–winter opening hours – closing half an hour earlier on weekdays:
Weekdays
8:00am – 4:30pm
Saturday
8:30am – 4:30pm
Sunday
10:00am – 4:00pm
Weekdays
8:00am – 4:30pm
Saturday
8:30am – 4:30pm
Sunday
CLOSED
The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust have put out an emergency call to action – Yorkshire’s woodlands are in decline, and we only have 50 years to save them.
The Trust is urging people to offer their support to help restore these vital habitats and protect the wildlife that depends on them.
From planting native tree saplings and creating wild glades, to restoring hedgerows and protecting trees for picky nesting birds like pied flycatchers and redstarts – each effort helps reinvigorate our existing woodlands and create new and flourishing woodlands for the future.
Find out more here.
• Carrot ‘Adelaide’ – Fill two 5 litre pots with compost and water thoroughly before scattering a few seeds on the surface. Then, sieve a 1cm layer of compost on top of the seeds. Once the seeds have germinated, ensure there are 5cm between each one, then begin cropping from week 9.
• Winter lettuce – Winter lettuces, such as ‘Arctic King’ are specially bred to be highly resistant to cold winter weather and can be sown outside in October.
• Broad beans – ‘Aquadulce Claudia’ is also a very cold-resistant crop and will yield pods containing around 6 beans each. Sow the seeds directly into the ground, around 5cm deep and 20cm apart. Expect to harvest from June onwards.
Bare-root plants are those that are supplied with no soil surrounding the roots and are therefore re-planted while dormant. Autumn and winter are the best seasons for bare-root planting – here are some of the best plants to try this with:
• Fruit trees – Younger specimens that can be more easily trained are best.
• Roses – These resilient shrubs cope very well with upheaval and will cost a lot less than roses growing in containers.
• Hedging plants – Purchasing bare-root hedging plants is the most economical way to add hedging to your garden, especially if a lot of hedge is required!
• Hostas – This foliage plant has thick roots that are better at resisting drying out and benefit from autumn rainfall.
Fallen leaves are great for composting, and starting in October you can begin to build a healthy stock of compost that will breathe new life into your garden next year.
We have a range of compost bins available at our centres. If you’d rather not have a bin that will take up permanent space in your garden, you can opt for one of our pop-up spring compost bins, which come in sizes of either 120L or 200L. These garden compost bins can be easily collapsed and put away when not in use!
This October half term, why not visit our Midgley Centre with your children?
Our Midgley Centre is the perfect place for a family outing! Visit our popular Little Acorn coffee stop – our vintage horse box conversion serves a delicious range of drinks, cakes, ice creams and snacks.
Midgley also has two nature trails of differing lengths for you to explore, with historical facts about the area dotted throughout.
Why not play our free ‘Name That Footprint’ game with your children? Grab a clipboard from the Little Acorn and name and draw all 12 footprints that can be found on our woodland walk to receive a small prize!
September is the ideal time to start filling your logs stores, ready for the colder months.
The hot summer has meant exceptional drying conditions for our air-dried logs, with moisture content as low as 15%!
Stock up now and take advantage of our three hot offers on firewood – available from Brigg and Midgley. Call now to arrange your delivery*.
Click here to view our helpful guide on choosing the right firewood logs for you.
*to our normal delivery zones
This October, the RSPCA are encouraging people across the UK to take part in their Walk on the Wild Side challenge, helping to raise vital funds for wildlife across the country.
You can choose between walking 60 miles or the ‘Ultra Wild Challenge’ of 120 miles, at your own pace, throughout the month. Make the most of your local area, get out and embrace the cool autumn days!
Find out how to make your steps count this autumn.
• Tomatoes – Pick any remaining tomatoes this month to prevent them being lost to frost later in the year.
• Chillies and peppers – If grown undercover, there may be some chillies and peppers left to pick.
• Spinach – Fast-growing varieties that were sown in the summer should be cropping now.
• Apples – October tends to be the last month suitable for picking apples, but they can be easily stored in a cold, dark place.
• Pumpkins – With Halloween around the corner, October is of course the perfect time to harvest pumpkins! Whether you’re carving them or cooking them, pumpkins are a hugely versatile crop.
The Squash and Pumpkin Cookbook: Gourd-geous recipes to celebrate these versatile vegetables by Heather Thomas
From spicy chutneys and hearty soups and curries to light refreshing salads and delightful bakes, this cookbook will carry you through the colder months with nutritious, homely and comforting recipes to suit every taste.
Available from Amazon here.
“The trees are in their autumn beauty, The woodland paths are dry, Under the October twilight the water Mirrors a still sky!”
– William Butler Yeats
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