PREPARE THE GROUND FOR WINTER

PREPARE THE GROUND FOR WINTER      

 We have to learn the lesson from last year. Most of us got caught out by the unexpected early winter that seemed to last a very long time, and getting onto the land to do some winter digging had to wait till about March. It is quite noticeable that a lot of plot holders have made a good start this autumn to crack on with the digging. The winter to come may not be as severe as last winter, but you just cannot take the risk.

As soon as crops have been harvested get some compost, leaf mould or manure spread and start the digging, but leave the soil surface as rough as possible to expose a large surface area to the weather.  In spring the soil will crumble easily to a fine tilth for sowing and planting.

Green manures

My early crops of onions, sweet corn, salads, French and broad beans, turnips, beetroot and a bed of strawberries now three years old have all been cleared at the end of summer, dug over, then raked level and sowed with a green manure of mustard.

As soon as I see a few flowers appearing on the mustard I will trample it down and dig it in so it has all winter to rot down to provide humus to improve the soil structure for my spring plantings.

However mustard belongs to the brassica family so can get infected by club root. This does not help crop rotation when you try to plant your cabbages, sprouts, cauliflowers and turnips on clean land not previously had brassicas for a few years. There are other green manures just as good for a quick crop such as tares, clovers and rye grass. Tares and clovers belong to the pea and bean family, so have the advantage of having nitrogen fixing bacteria on their roots which collect nitrogen while growing and then release it back to the soil to be used by next crop after they rot down.

Compost heaps

Every garden and allotment holder should have a compost heap. If you are really serious about growing good crops it is vital that you feed the soil to increase its fertility. Poor soil will produce poor crops, and adding fertiliser, even if it is organic, is no substitute for bulky organic manures. In past times farmyard manure was more plentiful, cheap and available, but today it is a much rarer commodity, so it is necessary to look out other products. However if you find a good source it is as good as you can get, but horse manure is also excellent. Chicken manure is good, but is very concentrated so needs bulking up with compost, old straw, bark chips, shreddings, grass cuttings or whatever you can find. Don’t throw out old used growbags, or compost from tubs and hanging baskets as these can all be reused on the compost heap. However always check them for the presence of vine weevil larvae. Sometimes you can find about fifty in a plant tub. These multiply very quickly, so if you find them remove them and either offer them to your friendly robin always fluttering close by, or squeeze them to kill them. Its a bit messy but it works.

All plant material can be composted, but to help the breakdown process, chop it up as much as possible before you add it to the heap. If it is woody and you have access to a chipper or shredder then you will have an excellent material to mix into your compost heap. Similarly, newspapers, utility bills often quite scary, bank statements showing interest at a very low rate, junk mail, unfriendly letters from creditors demanding payment for unpaid bills can all be very useful to bulk up your compost heap once they have been shredded.

Do not add any diseased plant material to your compost heap as most fungus spores can last for many years.

The compost heap will rot down faster if you keep the material chopped as small as possible and the heap is kept moist. Cover the heap with an old carpet to keep in the moisture and heat, but take it off during wet weather to allow rain to soak in.

Composting worms are different from the normal garden worm. They are present everywhere, and they will seek out your heap so no need to buy them in, but help them out by turning over the compost heap at least once every four or six months.

I use all my compost heap during my winter digging period, theoretically completed before Christmas in a normal year. That was my plan last year, but nature had its own plan and dumped a couple of feet of snow on my allotment without my permission and was in no hurry to remove it, so it took till March to get the soil turned over. Every year is different, so take every dryish day you can find to get the compost or manure dug in as you do not know what lies around the corner.

Digging

If you are digging in compost or manure it is better to take out a trench the depth of the spade so you can work backwards and have room to get the organic material incorporated into the soil as the digging proceeds. You will certainly need a trench if you are digging in a green manure otherwise it is very difficult to get it turned over cleanly with everything buried in the soil. At this time of year leave the soil rough to weather down over winter unless you are preparing a planting area for fruit bushes or plants. Any patch destined to be permanently planted with fruit trees, raspberries, blackcurrants, saskatoons or other fruit bushes is better being double dug up to two feet deep.

You will need to take out a trench at least 18 inches wide, but still only one spade depth. Fork up the bottom of the trench, adding some compost. This greatly assists drainage, aeration and gives the new plants an excellent root run to get them off to a good start. If you dig up any clay, keep it in the subsoil layer and do not bring it into the upper fertile zone.

As usual I set my target to complete winter digging by Christmas, but available spare time and the unpredictable weather may tell a different story.

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Too big for your roots

LOOKING AHEAD WITH SEASONAL TASKS

To keep the garden looking good all year round it is not enough to put in the hard graft without a fair bit of planning ahead. Tasks performed now will ensure the garden continues to look good next spring and summer.

My past career in horticulture has taken me all round the UK so I have had numerous gardens to design, plant and care for. I don't rush into the task but consider carefully all the different elements I want to incorporate into the garden. I may want flower beds, roses, heather garden, herbaceous border, annual border, flowering shrubs, garden trees, climbers, vegetables and fruit and most likely a greenhouse and sunny sheltered patio.

Shasta daisies

Initial garden design

Nearly all existing gardens have some redeeming elements that are worth preserving, then give a lot of thought to what parts get the most sun, shade and shelter and the need for paths.

Often there is a need for privacy with a sunny patio to relax on, steep banks to stabilise and shelter from wind may be needed. 
If some trees, appropriate to the size of the garden, can also be planted it will give the garden scale and a backdrop within which to set out the different elements.

All of these features need to be thought out at the beginning to save moving plants around later on, but don't worry if things do not go quite as planned. That is quite normal, but make sure you have the best place for your sunny patio to relax on with a wee drink (non alcoholic, of course) while doing all this planning.

Every time you visit a garden centre you are likely to come away with that special plant that needs fitting into this great design and that's when problems begin, or you often find that you want more plants than the garden can hold. Also many plants get too big for the space you thought was sufficient for them. It is sorting out these continual problems that makes gardening a year round affair.

Seasonal tasks

Now is the time to tackle some of those tasks.

Flag Iris

Flag Iris

This is a good time to split up flag Iris when the clumps have grown large and flowering starts to deteriorate. There is always strong young rhizomes around the outside of big clumps that can be dug out for replacing. Flag Iris like a sunny position with good but free draining soil and do not plant too deep as the rhizomes grow on the surface of the soil.

Lavender

Another plant I grow in a fairly dry border is a large drift of Lavender. It started off as an informal planting ten years ago of about twenty plants that eventually merged into a bold sweeping group. Very impressive at flowering time but now a bit sprawling even though they have been regularly pruned every year after flowering.

I will take a batch of cuttings about six to eight inches long and put them into a shallow tray of free draining compost kept in a shady sheltered spot outdoors. They usually root very easy and will be ready to pot up in late autumn then overwintered before planting back into a drift in spring. The old drift of Lavender will be dug out and the ground dug over, working in plenty of garden compost.. 

Lavander and heather cuttings

Heathers

A similar situation has arisen in my heather garden where a large drift of gold and bronze Calluna vulgaris has got too straggly. However these require different treatment for propagation by cuttings. I will take strong young shoots about two to three inches long and space them out about an inch apart in shallow tray in normal seed compost which will then go into a covered propagator with bottom heat. This will retain moisture to keep the cuttings sturdy. They should be ready for potting up by the end of autumn or sooner, and again these will be planted out in late winter or early spring.

Heathers can remain in great shape if they are trimmed over with garden shears after flowering, but do not cut into the old wood otherwise they may not recover. However the Irish heath Daboecia will grow again very easily when severely chopped back into old wood after flowering.

Poppies

Another plant that needs looking after is the Himalayan blue poppy. These give a fantastic display as a woodland edge plant when in a large informal drift. The plants will flower themselves to death over the years so new plants must be propagated from seed saved from the drift. I leave some seedheads to mature after flowering but remove them in July.

Let them dry off before shaking out masses of seeds. These can be sown in trays and left outdoors in a shady spot over winter, but do not let them dry out and protect them from birds who may dig up the compost. They require a cold period for a decent germination so provided the winter is fairly normal this should be ok and provide you with numerous young seedlings in spring. It is usually another year before they are big enough to flower.

Poppies come in numerous types as annuals, e.g. Californian, Ladybird, and biennials e.g. Iceland and perennials, e.g. Meconopsis and Orientals.

It is the biennial Iceland poppy that can be sown now from seed saved from those that have flowered from early spring and continue to provide a fair bit of bright colour.

I sow mine in plug trays with seed compost and keep them in a warm but shady position and make sure they never dry out. Hopefully they will germinate and get potted up in late summer to produce plants for planting in autumn or spring.

Iceland poppies can also be sown direct into the soil in August or September and will overwinter as young seedlings ready to flower in spring.

Feed the topsoil

To get the best out of all your plants you should make sure your soil is in excellent condition. Winter digging as early as possible and leaving the surface rough lets the weather break down the surface, and this is the best time to incorporate garden compost, manure or any other organic material to hand, even old growbags. This will improve drainage, warm up the soil, and increase microbial and worm activity which enhances availability of nutrients.

Every good garden should retain all waste plant materials for adding to the compost heap. I add grass cuttings, leaves, kitchen waste, shredded paper, and even tree and shrub prunings that first go through a shredder. Only things to get rejected are perennial weeds and any diseased plants. Good compost can also be used as a mulch on plants with surface roots that do not like soil disturbance, e.g. Azaleas, heathers

At this time of year waste from harvesting crops provides ample material to compost and it is a great idea to turn over the compost heap to allow even decomposition. It is hard work, but an excellent exercise with great benefits for all.

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