Topical Tips

[derekpara]

What should I be doing in my garden, now. (Late Oct). ?

I have a scruffy lawn, shrubs, a few fruit trees and some bush roses. I also have a couple of empty vegetable plots.

Oh, I am a reluctant gardener, So treat me gently.

Thanks.

[Clanad]

Clean the area of dead leaves and weeds thoroughly. Apply a light application of lawn fertilizer with a low first number. The bag will show 17-19-12 as example. The first number is nitrogen and should be 10 or less for a pre-winter application. Additionally, if the lawn is scruffy and if it has gone dormant with mainly light brown showing rather than green, apply a top dressing of grass seed. It will root in the spring and help the lawn not be so "scruffy". Trim the shrubs, again if they're dormant... same with roses. Prune the rose bushes lightly to remove any crossing branches in the middle and remove any dead wood. If you want to shape the fruit trees and if they're dormant, now's the time to prune them... If you're up to it, now would be a good time to use a potato fork and turn over the garden so it will retain moisture better. You can work in some dead leaves or other such soil loosening material but be cautious about adding any weedy material. Keep a generous supply of back liniment for any aches and pains... and Oh... yeah, someone to apply it and give you sympathy with a good warm cup of coffee (or tea, as the case may be) when completed.... Luck!

[derekpara]

Thanks, Clanad. Your first sentence seems enough work to keep me going for a month! But the rose and shrub pruning is just about within my scope. The fruit trees I think I will leave to the experts. As for the turning the plots over with a potato fork - can I do it by instalments ? Oh, and I'll drink the linament. Cheers.

[Thunderbird+]

Along with Clanad's usual exellent advice re the veg plots- Keep off of them, if wet, sticky or frosty but its a good idea to keep them turned over through the autumn and winter, as this can interupt any weed seeds that are thinking of germinating and save you lots of back ache latter on, hence the old gardeners saying- An hours weeding in winter is worth 5 hours in the summer. Good Luck Tbird+