Simon Lock urges gardeners to keep planting through the autumn months.
Far too many gardeners see October as a good time to hang up the gloves, draw the curtains and wait patiently on the sofa for spring. When the clocks change it becomes harder to find the time and motivation to get outside, but I find pulling on a hat and a head torch on an autumn evening hugely rewarding and, if nothing else, it keeps the local Neighbourhood Watch on their toes.
Despite what you might think there are plenty of crops that can be planted in the autumn. Before the temperature really takes a nosedive get outside and plug the gaps that the summer’s harvest has left behind. There are now a number of different asparagus plants that will happily set up camp in October and give you a six-month head start over other fair-weather varieties. Mondeo, Pacific 2000 and Guelph Millennium are all varieties more than capable of toughing out the winter months in a bed or, if you’re short of space, a container. While these tasty perennials don’t mind the cold they can get a bit grumpy if the soil gets waterlogged, so make sure any pots or bags have plenty of drainage. Mixing soil with compost and chucking in a good handful of gravel and dry leaves at the bottom of your container will keep them happy.
Another great autumn planter is garlic and my personal favourite is the Chesnok Red, which is delicious when roasted. Like asparagus, garlic doesn’t like sitting around in the wet so apply the same drainage rules as you have to the former and find the sunniest spot you can. Scanning the weather forecast for a warmer week will not only make your planting experience more enjoyable it’ll give these autumn newbies a better chance of settling in.