It’s Autumn, time for leaf clearing and digging

Autumn is well and truly here and there are loads of jobs to do in the garden over the next coming weeks. This will involve you getting fitter than ever before with all that leaf clearing and digging!

Before you pop out and put beds to rest or tease out any thatch on your lawn, give a thought for those tender salad vegetables such as tomatoes and chilli peppers. I’m just about to harvest and clear away the cordon toms this weekend. They’ve been super this year even though at times watering and feeding has been a challenge… remember all that hot weather and as a result constant watering and weekly feeding regimes? I decided to go away for the weekend, and even though I thought I’d covered all possibilities, I hadn’t envisaged heady temperature and humidity issues during late August and early September. The result was ‘blossom end rot’, a disorder due to erratic watering leading to poor uptake of calcium. This is an essential element for the plant as it helps build cell walls. A lack of it can cause a very distinctive browning to the end of the fruit which can impact on tomatoes and pepper quality. Nonetheless, a super year with bumper crops.

Next, the tomato plants will now be composted; however, the peppers will be kept as they are tender perennials. I treat them like I would treat Pelargoniums cvs, fuchsia and Heliotrope arborescens (cherry pie flower) by bringing them into a cool greenhouse and letting them dry gradually reducing watering to a minimum. Next spring they’ll all be potted on and cut back hard around March. This will invigorate the plant and also provide much needed shoots which could be used as cuttings to further increase stock. None will go back out until mid to late May.   Once I’ve cleared plants I’m ready to provide some much needed maintenance to the patio area by cleaning and tidying up the remaining tubs. All debris is composted, tubs top dressed with fresh compost appropriate to plant need. I also take the opportunity to add spring colour in the form of bulbs and corms such as dwarf Narcissus ‘Minnow’ and crocus. Your local garden centre will have loads on offer to tempt you!

Finally, any perennials that are looking tired should be cut back and spent tops composted. Leave grasses and any interesting perennials with decorative seed heads for the birds to enjoy over the winter months; these down mid to late February next year.

Happy gardening… and take the time to visit a local garden near you. Ever so slightly biased, but I do love to visit RHS Garden Hyde Hall over in Rettendon. Give them a call to check out any events/ activities on 0845 265 8071

For any gardening tips why not contact Tom Cole, Senior Horticultural Lecturer, Writtle College, Chelmsford, CM1 3RR by post (including a SAE) or by email at tom.cole@writtle.ac.uk