Here is our list of things to keep the garden humming along, enjoying the changing days, different lights and wind down to the end of the year.
Cut flowers + Nectar flowers
- If you haven’t already, now is a great time to sow your sweet peas for next year. Keep them under cover over winter or on a windowsill.
- If you have perennials like oriental poppies, acanthus and mint in your garden, now is a good time to take root cuttings whilst they are dormant.
- Plant the last of your bulbs like tulips and continue force-growing bulbs indoors like paperwhites and hyacinths.
- Keep an eye on your bulbs stored to make sure they don’t rot.
- Pick the last of your dahlias and collect sculptural seed heads for dried arrangements.
Garden Greens
At this time, start planning your garden for next year. If you are planting in beds, it is good to move crops around. If you plant in the same place, you are more likely to have a build-up of pests. Gardeners group veggies into the below categories, roots, brassicas, legumes (peas, beans) and everything else (potatoes, onions, tomatoes). Rotate in these groups to keep your plants good and healthy.
- Plant pea tips are great for a bit of fresh salad greens over the winter months.
- Plant garlic, it will be a slow start but will shoot up in the spring.
- Sow hardy peas under fleece to get ahead for the spring growing season.
- Dig over your veg beds as the crops are finished. Cold weather can often break down any big clumps of soil, leaving good drainage ready for sowing.
- Cover any productive salad plants like salad Rocket or perpetual spinach.
Garden Herbs
- Sow winter herbs like coriander and parsley in containers. Get a 20cm pot, with great drainage holes in the bottom, fill with compost and sow your seeds. Cover the pots, to enclose the moisture and put them somewhere warm to germinate.
- Continue to grow herbs inside, chives, parsley, and mint all will do well on a sunny windowsill.
Micro Greens
- Bring some extra goodness to your salads by growing micro-greens in your kitchen, you can try komatsuna, red amaranth or kale.
Harvesting
Here is what you could be eating fresh if you grew them in your garden next year:
- Garden greens: kale, brussel sprouts, carrots, rocket, pumpkins and spinach
- Edible flowers: violas and nasturtiums
- Garden herbs: parsley, coriander, mint and thyme
- Cut flowers: last of the dahlias
Odd Jobs
- Water pots outside if you have experienced a very dry spell.
- Lift all containers and pots off the ground to prevent flooding.
- Clear your lawn regularly to prevent brown patches. Consider making leaf mould bags or adding leaves to the compost.
- Protect special or ceramic pots by bringing them under cover or wrapping them in fleece to prevent cracking.
- Empty well-composted bins and spread the compost over bare soil.
- Create a DIY bird feeder to attract birds to your garden and help control pests.
- Leave seed heads on plants and berries on tables to provide food for birds.