Lawn Maintenance
- Prepare new lawns by seeding or laying sod. Over-seed worn patches in existing lawns and repair any damage caused by fungal diseases or pests.
- Moss control - use a commercial moss killer based on ferrous sulphate and scarify two weeks later. Calcium carbonate (limestone) helps acid soils as it raises pH and discourages moss.
- Scarify lawns with a spring-tined rake to collect and remove excess thatch (old grass stems and dead moss). It is best to do this before fertilizing.
- Aerate using a garden fork or aerator to spike lawns suffering from compaction to stimulate root growth.
- Topdress aerated soils with one part compost, three parts sandy loam and six parts sharp sand - rake carefully into holes. Topdressing can be worked in using the back of a rake and encourages better rooting and thickening of the grass.
- Fertilize with organic fertilizer low in nitrogen and high in phosphorus to encourage strong root growth.
Borders
- Take cuttings of tender and borderline-harden perennials such as Fuchsia, Salvias, Pelargoniums and Penstemon to overwinter under cover
- Feed and deadhead summer bedding plants - fertilized and tended they will bloom until the first frost.
- Plan for next year's late summer color by planting perennials such as Helenium, Helianthus 'Lemon Queen' and Aster x frikartii 'Monch'
- Collect seeds from perennials and annuals and dry them off before storing.
- Start planting spring-flooring bulbs in borders and containers
- Lift and divide hardy perennials
- Start planting trees and shrubs towards thinned of the month when the soil is still warm and move evergreen shrubs.
- Gather and dispose fallen rose leaves suffering from blackspot. Do NOT add them to the compost heap.
Vegetable Garden
- Plant onions and shallots suitable for overwintering (with heavy wet clay soils it may be better to wait until spring).
- Harvest apples and pears and store in cool well-ventilated space.
- Harvest main crop potatoes. Let tubers dry before storing in jute, burlap or paper bags in dark frost-free space.
- Wow winter greens such as mustard, spinach and hardy lettuce cultivars for spring crops