Garden and garden work in October. The most important work in the garden and the garden in October Garden garden October what to do
Came to an end summer season, but, my dear summer residents, this does not mean at all that we can now relax and sit back. You will drink tea with jam and look at summer photographs in winter, but for now you need to prepare for it.
In the garden and vegetable garden in October still a lot of work. We are slowly preparing the beds so that in the spring we can only sow them, if you have been going to plant trees or bushes all summer, and only now have acquired them - plant, do not pull.
But in the regime of chronic time pressure it is possible (and it is more correct!) To dig in the seedlings. So they will perfectly survive the winter, and in the spring, plant them in prepared pits.
This is better than doing all the "tyap-blooper" and condemning the plant to a difficult winter. And in general, do not do everything in a hurry, think over the planting and work in advance, because then remodeling is more expensive for yourself. In general, more than one fine day is still needed to work in the garden and in the garden.
In early October, warm days of golden autumn can still please us with their bright bliss. This is the time when foliage falls from the trees and covers the cooling earth with a lush warm carpet.
And at the end of the month "manna" from heaven is already pouring into the beds. And then even the most persistent summer residents will want home comfort.
Summer was generous, warmth was enough for us, and flowers, and harvest. And now we need to have time to prepare the plots for winter so that the frost does not spoil the bushes and trees, does not destroy perennials.
So what do we need to do to new season pleased with the excellent harvest and how not to miss something.
October - "garden month"
In the garden there is a dance of falling leaves. How wisely nature is arranged! So that the roots do not chill in the ground, the trees themselves make sure that they are at least a little warmer.
From this observation, we, dear summer residents, can draw a very useful conclusion: before winter comes, it is good to cover perennial plants a feather bed of fallen leaves. Birch foliage is best suited for this.
If you haven't finished yet, hurry up to make them in the first half of October, because the frosts are not far off.
We remove the last harvest of apples and pears of late varieties
To keep them longer, we collect the fruits dry, immediately after the dew recession and always with a stalk. We will carefully inspect the harvested crop and all the fruits that do not have mechanical and other damage, we put them in boxes lined with paper, sprinkle with sawdust, or you can wrap each fruit in parchment paper or paper napkins, which will significantly improve the storage regime, since if any fruit and rot, then it will not infect the rest.
I advise you to first put the boxes with fruits in the shed, and only then, with the onset of cold weather, transfer them to the basement, where they will be further stored at low positive temperatures.
If we immediately put the apples and pears removed from the tree into storage, then due to the temperature difference, the fruits can sweat and the likelihood of their spoilage increases. It is best to put boxes in the basement when the temperatures in the basement and outside are equal.
Early October finishing cleaning chokeberry ... Its berries make excellent jam, as well as jams and juices.
We also finish cleaning remontant varieties of raspberries.
We remove quince as the last fruit crop, since it ripens rather late - only in mid-October. It is hardly edible fresh, because the pulp is very tough, but still there are lovers who really like it, especially for its unique aroma.
But quince can be used to prepare delicious processed products: preserves, jams, jam, juice with pulp.
Saplings of fruit trees in the nursery
We continue planting fruit trees and bushes, but we are trying to complete it by mid-October, since the plants planted later fall into the risk zone.
Autumn is the best time to buy planting material. At this time, in all nurseries, there is a massive digging of seedlings, therefore in the fall there is the most diverse and large assortment of planting material and, accordingly, the best opportunities for selection.
In the spring, only the planting material remains that could not be sold in the fall.
If you plan to rejuvenate or expand the garden, then purchase the seedlings right now, in the fall. Winter hardy varieties apple trees, raspberries, currants, gooseberries are best planted immediately in a permanent place. And the seedlings of the remaining less winter-hardy fruit crops will be better to dig for spring planting.
Many amateur gardeners still prefer to buy seedlings in the spring, because they do not know how to properly preserve them until spring. And it’s not that difficult.
So that the seedlings are well preserved until spring, dig them in on your site, choosing for this a well-warmed high place that will not be flooded with melt water either in spring or in winter during thaws.
Then, in the selected area, we dig a ditch in the direction from east to west, about 50 cm deep and 100-120 cm wide (the dimensions depend on the size of the seedlings).
We make the southern wall of the ditch inclined, and fold the excavated earth to the north side. We lay the planting material obliquely in one row, so that the entire root system and a third of the trunk are in the groove.
The crown must be oriented to the south. This arrangement greatly reduces the risk of burns to the stems of seedlings from the bright sun in February-March. Carefully spread the roots along the southern sloped wall of the groove.
Do not forget to just write down the sequence of the varieties and the amount of each variety in the direction from east to west. Then in the spring you can easily determine the variety of each seedling. As a safety net, you can also hang a thick foil label on each seedling with the name of the variety squeezed out on it.
Now you can cover the seedlings with earth, trampling it tightly to the roots. If the weather is dry at this time, then the ground must be well watered.
General cleaning of the lawn
In winter, the most difficult thing is for the lawn, in this regard, we will try to prepare it well for the cold weather.
If, after the last haircut, the grass has grown a lot, then it is necessary to cut it, but not too short, leaving a height of 5-8 cm.
Sprinkle seeds on the formed "bald patches". The ants will not have time to take them apart, and in the spring the seeds will have time to rise before the first haircut.
Be sure to feed the lawn with potash fertilizers, thanks to which our lawn can safely survive even severe frosts.
There is no place for fallen leaves, grass felt and debris on the lawn, so we take frequent rakes and thoroughly "comb" our lawn.
If the fall is too rainy, then it is necessary to pierce the sod with a pitchfork to the maximum possible depth. This is done in order to drain excess water into the lower soil layers.
Otherwise, as soon as frost hits, the wet lawn will be covered with an ice crust, and by the spring ugly bald patches will form on it.
October pruning
There are plants that do not tolerate spring pruning well. These are many berries, including actinidia, in which sap flow begins early in the spring.
Therefore, it is better to cut them off at the beginning of October, since by this time the plants have finished all vital processes and they are ready for winter. But there is still time for the healing of wounds (before the onset of stable frosts).
We talked about pruning currants, gooseberries, raspberries in previous articles, so now we will learn how to do annual pruning of actinidia. The procedure for pruning actinidia:
first, we cut out all thin and broken shoots, and then weak and thickening the crown;
remove 1-2 vines that have been bearing fruit for 3 years, cutting them out to a powerful branch of a young vine located lower to the ground;
we shorten vegetative shoots to the desired length when they occupy the intended for them free space on a support;
we cut the generative-vegetative shoots, which are formed on last year's growth, up to 30 cm long;
evenly distribute on the trellis all the shoots remaining on the vine, so that they can grow freely in the future and diffused light passes through them in a leafy state.
Work in the garden
Gardeners are trying to complete all seasonal work by mid-October, because not everyone had enough time in September to cope with harvesting and preparing the garden for winter.
Harvesting late vegetables
At the beginning of the month, we dig out the remains of cauliflower, and then, after the Intercession, and late white cabbage. We cut down the heads of cabbage and carry them away from the garden.
If frozen water with ice is found at the top of the leaves, then remove the covering leaves, dry the heads of cabbage and put them in storage.
And if there are foci of rot, we fill them with a mixture of sand, slaked lime and chalk. After the white cabbage, we start harvesting the late Brussels sprouts. To keep it better and longer brussels sprouts, it is recommended to dig it out with the roots and dig it in the basement into a large deep box in wet sand, or hang it with the roots up on the crossbar. The temperature in the basement must be maintained at a level of +1 ... + 2 degrees.
Having determined the cabbage for storage, we return to the site and dig out all the stumps with roots remaining in the ground. Don't leave a single root in the ground!
And the point is not only in the cleanliness of the site (although this is also very important), but also in the fact that cabbage fly larvae winter on the roots of cabbage. And if we do not remove the stumps, then in the spring, as soon as the earth thaws, these larvae will warm up and on the same roots will begin a feast, invisible to us summer residents.
And in June, as soon as we plant fresh cabbage seedlings, it will be attacked by young cabbage flies that have just been released.
We dig out radishes, parsnips and celery, and small roots of parsley and celery can be left before winter so that in early spring you can already have fresh herbs on your table.
At the end of the month, we collect Jerusalem artichoke tubers. Be sure to leave some of the tubers in the ground for the winter - new plants will grow from them in the spring. Jerusalem artichoke grows well in one place for no more than 5 years, then it is better to transplant it to a new place. It is better to store the tubers in the basement, layering them with earth so that they do not dry out.
After the onset of frost, you can dig up horseradish, because it was by this time that the plant had accumulated the largest amount nutrients and it turns out fragrant, sweetish and not so vigorous. We select the roots cleanly, otherwise horseradish will grow throughout the entire area, dry them and put them in the refrigerator in a plastic bag.
To dig or not to dig?
Digging the earth is another mandatory autumn procedure. Although more and more recently, doubts about its feasibility have been spoken about. Many supporters of natural farming are convinced that digging the soil leads to the death of beneficial soil microorganisms and promotes the growth of weed seeds. And our attempt to give the roots air, sometimes these very roots and ruins.
To understand to dig or not to dig the ground, of course, it is best to experiment yourself. But you should still take into account the type of soil. So, for example, heavy clayey and uncultivated soils require digging in autumn. While light and loose soils, it is enough to deep loosening with a flat cutter.
To cultivate the soil in the garden, you should start immediately after harvesting, while carefully removing the weeds and applying the necessary fertilizers.
And if, nevertheless, we decide to experiment, then let's take several beds for our experiment and, without digging, process them with a flat cutter, and then cover them with a thick, even layer of mulch (hay and straw), level them well and tamp them.
The layer should be at least 10 cm. This is not so much, since in spring, when the snow melts, this layer will not be so large.
From autumn to spring, ideal conditions for the active growth of soil microflora, which will inhibit the development of pathogenic microbes, will indeed remain under this layer.
In addition, earthworms will "fatten", which in the course of their life provide food to the soil and loosen it.
Supporters of natural farming believe that seedlings and seeds should be planted in spring without removing the mulch layer, but only slightly raking the mulch and digging holes for the seedlings.
And we sow the seeds in this way: we rake the mulch, make furrows, put the seeds in them, lightly sprinkle them with earth, and then return the mulch layer to its place.
Moisture is well retained under such a layer of mulch, so seeds and seedlings can be watered less often, and in the early spring period it is generally not worth watering, since mulch retains snow moisture well in the soil.
Also, a favorable microclimate is created under the mulch, which contributes to the rapid germination of seeds and the rooting of seedlings.
Finally, the decomposition of the mulch provides excellent root dressing. And all this with minimal cost for fertilization and watering. Moreover, we will save our strength, and this is very important for any summer resident.
Getting ready for winter crops
In the first half of October, we plant winter garlic on prepared beds.
In areas with unstable, frequently changing weather, it is very difficult to guess the timing of planting, but the plants must have time to take root well, but at the same time not give green shoots, otherwise they may freeze. And later plantings can also suffer from frost, since they do not have time to form a root system.
It is best to plant garlic at a time when the average daily air temperature no longer rises above 10 degrees.
For planting, we use chives, bulbs and one-tooth. We plant the teeth to a depth equal to three diameters of a clove or bulb.
After a slight freezing of the soil on the plantings of garlic, it is advisable to mulch them with peat compost or cover them with a small layer of fallen leaves.
From mid-October to early November, we start sowing vegetable crops before winter: carrots, parsley, dill, lettuce, spinach, radishes, turnips, rutabagas, celery, onion seeds for a turnip.
It is best to start sowing in the pre-winter season, when the soil temperature drops to 2-3 degrees, and experienced vegetable growers are already sowing when the soil begins to freeze 2-5 cm in depth and only thaws a little during the day. Of course, we will prepare the beds in advance in September and cover them with a covering material so that the grooves are not washed away by rains.
It is very important that seedlings do not appear in the fall, as in this case they will freeze.
But if the seeds leave unsprouted before winter, then neither winter frosts nor spring cold snaps will adversely affect the sowing. And in the early spring, more friendly and even shoots will appear, and the harvest can be obtained 2-3 weeks earlier than with spring sowing.
Another advantage of podzimnogo sowing is that in the spring we will have more time for other work and sowing other crops in more favorable terms.
It is important to pay attention to the following rules for winter sowing:
We choose high areas with loose fertile soil, which dry out quickly in spring, warm up, and most importantly, do not flood.
Seeds are sown dry.
The seeding rate should be higher than in spring, since most likely not all seeds can sprout.
Sprinkle the seeds not with earth, but with a mixture of good humus and sand, which must be prepared in advance. From above, the planting can still be covered with dry leaves.
Digging out useful roots
Let's pick a fine day in early October and start collecting roots medicinal plantsthat grow in or near the garden. it the best time for collecting the roots of dandelion, burdock, wheat grass, chicory, angelica and calamus.
We wash the dug roots in running water, blot with a napkin. Then we cut them into cubes and dry them in a well-ventilated area. We store dry roots in a kitchen cabinet in a tightly closed glass jar no more than three years.
It is also important to do:
We remove and burn vegetable waste
We dig (in the second decade of October) old, no longer fruitful trees, while trying not to leave roots in the soil. Then you can saw them and burn them. Next, it is necessary to treat the soil with a solution of copper sulfate (2 tablespoons per 10 liters of water) in those places where they grew and dig it up. In place of dug old trees, fruit crops are not planted for 3 years, but it is better to sow legumes (peas, beans, lupine). Seedlings can be grown nearby.
We will feed those plants that did not manage to feed at the end of September, then, if the autumn is dry, we will carry out the autumn water-charging watering of berry and fruit crops, ornamental perennials.
We weed rhubarb, sorrel, asparagus, onion and other perennial crops, cut off old leaves, loosen and feed. To do this, it is best to mulch them with compost with a layer of 2-3 cm. It is possible to introduce a complex around the plants, in the grooves. mineral fertilizer and immediately embedded in the soil.
If your garden is located on a slope, then in order to prevent soil washout, we dig deep intermittent furrows across the slope or we make earthen rollers.
We prepare pits for planting seedlings in spring and fill them with fertilizers.
We will prepare the soil in the beds for spring crops - we add potassium and phosphorus, manure, ash. It is good to cover the finished beds with black film to protect the soil and better warm up in spring.
You can not weed the beds heavily overgrown with weeds, but simply cover them with a dark film and by the next season the weeds themselves will die.
We drain the water from the vessels, barrels, drain the water from the pipes, fold the hoses and bring everything into the utility room.
We remove all plant debris, dry fallen leaves and tops and put everything in compost heaps.
We clean up ditches, gutters, drainage system from pollution. If necessary, we repair the drainage system, water supply, paths, buildings.
On a dry, sunny day, we will collect all the sticks and supports that we put under tomatoes, beans and other crops. They will still be useful to us in the next summer season. Before folding them under the canopy, treat them with a solution of copper sulfate and dry them thoroughly.
Regularly, starting in October, we inspect stored cabbage, root crops and potatoes and remove spoiled fruits.
We hang bird feeders in the garden.
We tightly tie the trunks of young trees with spruce branches, roofing felt, synthetic bags, deepening the lower end of the harness into the ground. Just do not use straw or reeds for tying, as they are an excellent refuge for overwintering many harmful insects.
These are, perhaps, all the main works. Work at the dacha this season is almost completed and now you can relax a little.
See you soon, dear friends!
October is one of autumn months, which is very important for residents of the Moscow region and the rest of Russia, to prepare a summer residence for wintering. In order to work fruitfully and profitably at this time, you need to know in advance what to do and make a special list of things that you should do at your favorite summer cottage. Of course, few people want to work with the ground in cold and sometimes rainy weather - many prefer warmth and home comfort.
But on the other hand, the most hardworking and hardy will be rewarded in the spring when the leaves begin to break through and vegetables can be planted. By the way, some crops can and even need to be planted in October! What to do in the country in October and what to plant in October we will consider in this material useful for any summer resident.
What to plant in the country in October?
From September 20 and (in good weather) until October 20 - the most suitable period for planting seedlings of fruit trees and shrubs. This is an excellent time for replanting raspberry and currant bushes (for renewal).
Sowing vegetables before winter
October is a great time for planting vegetables before winter. During the winter, they will sleep well under the snow cover and will rise together in the spring.
In addition to garlic, you can plant a bed of early carrots so that you can enjoy them with a crunch in the summer. In a greenhouse or under glass, you can plant early radishes, radishes, cabbage lettuce and lettuce. Glass will protect landings from sudden spring frosts and will save the necessary moisture in the soil.
You can sow winter onions. For this, special short-day varieties are chosen, which form bulbs during a short sunny spring day. Currently there are such hybrids as "Radar F1" and "Ibis F1".
What to do at the gardener's dacha in October?
Rosemary on the street must be covered or brought into a warm room for the winter.
Cover perennials and biennials with lutrasil as needed.
Check the dahlia tubers overwintering in the house regularly; discard wilted, rotten and diseased plants immediately.
It is worth planning the breakdown of the ridges and flower beds, choosing matching and suitable flowers.
After the first frost, dahlias must be dug out, due to the fact that the stems and leaves of them will immediately turn black.
To do this, you need to dig in the bushes in a circle, trying not to damage the tubers. Shake it gently and clean the soil from the tubers. Then we prune the stems at a height of ten centimeters from the base. We make a cut just above the lignified area.
Dahlia tubers are washed out with a stream of water and dried in the sun for several hours or a couple of days indoors.
For the purpose of winter storage of tubers, a room with good ventilation, an air temperature of + 3-8 ° C and a humidity of about 60-70% is required. In an apartment environment, dahlias can be stored on a warm glazed balcony. The nest of root tubers should be put in a bucket and covered with a mixture of sawdust, sand and peat.
What should a gardener do in the country in October?
We remove young growth
We recommend that you remove wild growths that have formed over the summer near mature fruit trees with pruners and an ax. If you do not, then in the spring it will quickly rise and absorb many nutrients that would be required for adult specimens to start a new crop.
Protect tree trunks by whitewashing so that their bark is not damaged by frost cracks in winter.
In October, leaves fall and therefore it is necessary to remove the fallen leaves in time and burn them so that pests of apple and other trees cannot overwinter in it.
What should a gardener do in the country in October?
Leftover vegetables
In October, the first frosts begin and therefore those vegetables that you left to ripen in the garden require additional protection. We recommend covering these beds with foil or lutrasil to protect the roots in case of sudden frost.
Harvesting vegetables
Cucumbers and tomatoes are finishing fruit. Beets and carrots have grown. It's time to harvest vegetables. But which vegetables should be removed first?
We harvest, first of all, those vegetables that are afraid of frost. These include cucumbers, tomatoes and beets.
Frost-resistant crops such as horseradish, carrots, pumpkin and cabbage are the last to be removed from the fields and summer cottages.
After the onset of frost, you should dig up the horseradish. At this time, it contains the maximum amount of nutrients.
Digging the soil
Since the soil was depleted after the next harvest, it should be fed with potash fertilizers. They must be brought in immediately before digging. The loosened soil will collect much more moisture in the fall and help nourish plant seeds in early spring.
Apply fertilizer and loosen the soil. It is best not to break up clods to improve air flow.
What should a winegrower do at the dacha in October?
The grapes are harvested, and therefore it is possible to process the bushes with drugs against pests and diseases without any problems. The bushes must be cut, bent to the ground and covered with fresh spruce branches or peat. Trimming grape bush it is imperative to take it out of the cottage or burn it.
What should a summer resident do in October?
Greenhouse work
In October, after harvesting vegetables, in the greenhouse you can do the digging of the soil, and the treatment with phytosporin or copper sulfate glasses and frames of this design. After finishing the cleaning, you can light the FAS sulfuric block and tightly close all the cracks and doors with vents. Such a procedure will save from the spread of dangerous fungal diseases, for example, late blight.
Preparing inventory for storage
After the dacha season, it is likely that some of the gardening tools were scattered around the site and broken. Therefore, it is worth conducting an autumn audit of your instrument. Make a list of missing tools so that you can get the necessary things during the winter or spring.
The rest of the tools should be cleaned of dirt and placed in storage.
Dig up the ground for seedlings
In the literal sense, it is worth digging up the earth in buckets. To have something to grow seedlings. Many even experienced summer residents forget about such a trifle and then rack their brains about where to get land for seedlings.
Compost pile care
Collect the tops and stems of the plants in a compost heap. Treat them with a urea solution. Cover the top with roofing felt or thick film.
On the eve of winter, I shared with Pravda.Ru my secrets and advice about housekeeping at the dacha chairman of the Moscow Union of Gardeners Andrey Tumanov.
- What is important to do now in the country, in the garden, in the vegetable garden in order to preserve vegetables and fruits and get a good harvest next year?
- The summer season never ends; it continues in late autumn and even in winter. There will always be enough work, at the very dacha now - for sure. Those who haven't done it yet, for example, need to finish harvesting. The potatoes are the same, beets, cabbage.
Then you need to put the potatoes in a dark place at room temperature. Under no circumstances should potatoes be dropped straight into the basement! First, he must lie down, rest, as they say, heal any of his wounds and prepare for the winter. The same goes for carrots.
I strongly recommend that everyone thoroughly wash the vegetables before doing this. For example, I do it with a hose. After you wash away the dirty soil from the fruits, you can immediately see those that are rotten or beaten. These are not suitable for storage, they must be eaten immediately. And, frankly, ripe, washed, clean vegetables look more appetizing.
Do not forget about the order in the country. Always clean up your property thoroughly after the harvest season. Then I always, for example, dig a vegetable garden. it effective method weed control. I cultivate the soil in the garden. Be sure to add lime or ash - this is to deoxidize the soil, because most of our soils are still acidic. And if you apply some types of nitrogen fertilizers, then the acidification of the soil is even stronger, so every year you need to slightly deoxidize the soil.
Usually I burn a lot of ash, wood, ash is a mild deoxidizer, and it is advisable to bring ash under digging and in the fall. And somewhere for digging at least a third of a bucket of sifted wood ash I bring to square meter... This helps maintain the necessary acidity in the soil. And plus another ash - this is a good fertilizer, it contains potassium, a little phosphorus and trace elements.
I will give one more piece of advice. See how many rotten apples are lying around - both you and your neighbors, hanging in the crowns. You see, rotten apples are not just ugly or irrational - they are the path to even more diseases next year. That is, when an apple rots, it spores, scatters spores. And if we somehow do not dispose of them, then it means that we will have these diseases develop exponentially. Therefore, of course, all this must be disposed of.
I saw garbage containers at some gardeners, they throw apples in bags there. This is wrong, because even rotten apples are organic, and organic is a big deficit in the country. I usually bury such fruits. Here I dug several holes for black currant, stuffed them with apples ... When planting crops, they can simply be buried in the holes. They will rot there with the help of bacteria, earthworms eat them, and turn seemingly rotten, completely unnecessary apples into a good nutrient for plants. Compost is the best fertilizer you can't buy.
Therefore, use organic matter as much as possible, and diseases buried in the ground will not come out, if you put the ground at least 20-30 centimeters on top. This way I recycle all organic matter. These are not only apples, but also potato tops, which are one hundred percent sick with late blight. In theory, it needs to be burned, but I feel sorry for the organic matter to burn. I also use it. The tops of tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini - all this is sick, but it can also become organic.
You can also do winter crops. It is already quite possible to plant garlic - even, perhaps, in some regions of the country they were late, where the cold weather has already come. But if you haven't, plant the winter garlic immediately. You can plant small-bulbous: scillas, crocuses, tulips, hyacinths, daffodils. All this is planted in the fall, so hurry up to plant so that you have a beautiful flower garden in the spring. And also vegetable beds can be made already - all winter-hardy vegetables, such as potatoes, beets, the same salads, onions, seeds, can be planted in the fall. The harvest will come out at least one and a half to two weeks earlier. So the game is worth it.
Having dealt with all this, you can, if there is time left, do part spring workto unload next spring. For example, trim shrubs. In general, this, of course, I repeat, work for the spring, but black and red currants, gooseberries, ornamental shrubs, for example, you can cut it off immediately after the leaves fall. Especially for bushes, autumn pruning is painless.
There is always enough work in the country, from my own experience I say. So get going!
Work in the garden and vegetable garden in October for most owners of suburban areas ends the summer season. The trees begin to shed their foliage, there is almost nothing left in the garden, most of the harvest has already been laid in storage. "October is a month of full pantries" - says popular wisdom, but this does not mean at all that work in the garden and in the garden has already been completed. It's too early to rest, because country cottage area must be carefully prepared for winter. Well, when she comes, then you can relax, drink hot tea with homemade jam, and look at summer photos. So, what kind of work are the responsible summer residents doing this month?
Primary work in the garden and vegetable garden in October
On October days, it is already necessary to prepare the entire infrastructure for winter with might and main: remove and clean the time relay from drip irrigation, turn over the barrels, remove the pump, "park" the water supply - blow it through and leave the taps open.
Harvesting the last crop in the garden
In the first half of October, you should collect the remains of cabbage from the garden: cauliflower, white cabbage, late Brussels sprouts. If the heads of cabbage have already had time to freeze, they need to be dried a little, after having torn off the upper damaged leaves, and only after that they should be stored.
According to the observations of many gardeners, cabbage is better stored in a suspended state (on a crossbar, roots up) in a basement with a constant temperature of 1-2 degrees. 
If you store cut cabbage, then when the heads of cabbage are determined for the winter, it's time to deal with the stumps remaining after them. It is advisable to dig up absolutely everything, without leaving a single root in the ground. This is done not for the sake of cleanliness and order on the site, but for another, more important reason. The fact is that the remaining cabbage roots are a haven for the cabbage fly larvae, so to speak, their winter quarters. If the stalks are not removed, the larvae will safely survive until spring, warm up with the arrival of heat and turn into flies, which in June will literally devour cabbage seedlings.
Planting must be completed in the first half of October, since plants planted closer to resistant frosts automatically fall into the risk zone. Before frost, the planted seedlings will have time to grow absorbent roots and, with the arrival of spring heat, will instantly start growing (about a couple of weeks earlier than those planted in spring). Weather surprises, which nature often throws up at the beginning of the summer season, they will meet already sufficiently developed and strengthened.
It is advisable to prepare the landing pits for "migrants" no later than a week before disembarkation. After planting, it is necessary to ensure that the soil under the young trees and bushes does not dry out before the onset of frost. Gardeners pay special attention to the insulation of seedlings. If a severe winter is predicted, the plants can be insulated as follows: drive four pegs around the trunk at a distance of up to 40 cm, cover the resulting frame with burlap, fill the space between the tree and the burlap walls with dry leaves or sawdust. If there is no burlap at hand, you can build a tube from corrugated paper and fill with insulation. This protection will help your plants survive any winter. 
If a winter insulation can be damaged by rodents, look in the area (or ask your neighbors) for foliage and elderberry shoots, and add to the insulation layer - mice "do not like" this smell.
Autumn pruning of fruit and berry crops
It is better not to allow garden crops to overwinter with a thickened or injured crown, it is dangerous for them. That is why thinning and sanitary pruning is carried out in the fall. It begins during the fall of leaves or immediately after the trees and bushes drop their foliage, and it is necessary to finish removing unnecessary branches before frost. In order not to weaken the plants, but rather to strengthen their immunity, pruning must be carried out in a "sparing mode", not too zealous.
Sanitary pruning involves removing broken, dried, pest-infested branches that have stopped bearing fruit (called unloading). After the trees and bushes shed their leaves, these damaged areas are clearly visible. In order to thin out the crown, all overlapping branches are cut out, resting on the trunk, growing from the trunk almost vertically or simply preventing the access of light. The main thing is to carry out this procedure in a timely manner so that the wounds have time to heal before winter.
Another October work in the garden is pruning gooseberries and currants. Both crops wake up and bloom too early, so it is best not to delay thinning them until spring. In addition, all kidneys are checked on currants - deformed and swollen kidneys with signs of a kidney mite must be carefully pinched off and burned. 
In addition to pruning in the fall, we also regularly spray against diseases and pests - in October with live microbial preparations, and only in November we connect iodine treatments.
Tidying up and preparing plants for wintering
October work in the garden is not limited to pruning old trees and planting new ones. In addition, it is better to clean the garden sod of leaf litter - to distribute the foliage to the flower beds and beds. Also, the plant residues accumulated during the season are removed into the compost heap, and the preparation of fruit trees and berry trees for winter begins. Dead bark is removed from the trunks, and then whitewash is carried out with a mixture of lime and clay with the addition of water (3 kg of the mixture / 10 l of water) and ash (1 glass). If there is a mullein, then it is added - it improves adhesion.
Later, when the ground begins to freeze, the trunks can be mulched with compost mixed with sawdust, and even better with peat.
Autumn work in the flower garden in October
In flower beds on October days, they cut off and cover non-resistant crops (thermophilic hydrangeas, climbing roses, rhododendrons) and plant the favorite bulbous - tulips, daffodils, chionodox, crocuses, etc. 
All leaf litter of fruit trees that is not distributed over the beds, as already mentioned, is best scattered in flower beds - this is food for the soil and insulation for the winter. By about the end of June next year, there will be no trace of the leaves, all will be eaten by soil microorganisms and earthworms. This nutrition is enough not only for flowers, but also for fruit trees - their nutritious roots will reach here too, if flower beds are organized close orchard.
For summer residents, October is a very busy month. If in the summer you can sit out the midday heat somewhere in the shade, wait for the evening coolness and continue working, then in the middle of autumn such pauses are impermissible. People say: "The October day flies quickly - you can't tie it by the fence." And indeed, as soon as I prepared the instrument and got ready to work, it was getting dark. But winter is very close, and you need to have time to carry out all the planned work in the garden and vegetable garden in October without putting them off until spring.
The summer cottage season is coming to an end, the garden is empty, almost the entire crop has been harvested. It would seem that you can already relax and unwind, but in fact there is still a lot of work in the garden and in the vegetable garden. In October, all these works are mainly related to the preparation garden plot for winter.
This is what this article is about. First, let's talk about seasonal gardening.
October. Seasonal work of gardeners
Your garden: jobs of the month
October is the time for harvesting apples and pears of late varieties. Do this in the first decade and store them. To keep the fruits longer, they should be cooled as soon as possible after removal and stored at a temperature of 0 - plus 5 degrees.
Renet Simirenko - at plus 2-3 degrees. Can be stored for several months at temperatures from minus 1 to minus 0.5.
If you remove the pears too early, store at 2-4 degrees or they will not ripen.
Before storing the fruits of each variety, it is necessary to sort out, select those damaged by diseases and pests or with mechanical injuries. The larger the fruit, the earlier it ripens, breathes stronger, releases more substances that affect the surrounding fruits, accelerating their ripening.
Therefore, before storage, fruits of the same variety should be disassembled by size: large, medium, small. Place them in different containers and take them from the cellar at different times.
Apples can be placed in cardboard boxes, lattice boxes, thin polyethylene translucent bags (1-1.5 kg each), simply on shelves.
It's time to clean up the garden in October
Around young fruit trees, you need to dig up the soil by 15-20 cm with a pitchfork. Later, on the frozen soil, mulch the tree trunks with sawdust or compost, best of all with peat.
Dig holes and fertilize them for the spring planting of seedlings.
In order for the trees to survive the winter better, phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are applied to the trunk circle (if they were not introduced earlier) and embedded in the ground with a hoe.
In autumn, the tree trunks in the garden must be whitewashed.
Clean the trunks of dead bark and then whiten. Young trees (up to 5 years old) are best whitened with chalk solution. Adults - lime and clay (2.5 kg per 10 liters of water) or garden sunscreen paint.
Before winter, the garden must be cleared of weeds, plant debris, diseased and dried shoots of trees and shrubs.
We continue landing
In October, it's time to plant apple, pear and other fruit trees. It is necessary to finish planting no later than 15 days before stable frosts.
You can cut off the aerial part in the fall only in berry fields. Prune the trees in the spring, but do not forget to do this so that the seedlings take root well. We cut to restore the balance between the roots injured during the excavation and the aboveground part.
When the leaves on the trees begin to turn yellow, spray the crowns with a solution of urea (500 g per 10 liters of water) to destroy the spores of scab and other fungal diseases.
Leaf fall does not mean that all tissues and organs of the plant have entered the resting phase. At positive temperatures, flower buds continue to develop, roots grow.
Take care of soil improvement
In the fall, you need to take care of the land. It's good if you managed to add manure. Organic matter improves the soil, replenishes it with humus, makes the soil looser, breathable and permeable.
If there is no manure or compost, use a shovel to chop up fresh stalks of beans, beans, carrot tops, nettles, and dig up the soil onto a shovel bayonet. This is also a useful organic fertilizer.
Do not throw the stems and flowers of marigolds, calendula into the fire. Crushed and embedded in the soil, they cleanse it of pests and fungal diseases. Tansy, yarrow, chamomile are also useful for fertilizing the soil in autumn.
Perform shrub pruning work
In October, currant and gooseberry bushes are cut. Free red and black currants, gooseberries from old and thickening branches. It is necessary that the branches be free, then the harvest will delight you.
The gooseberry bush requires pruning.
Do not leave stumps when cutting branches. Pests and pathogens overwinter in them. Non-thickened bushes of red currant bear fruit for 15-20 years, black - 5-6 years, gooseberry - 5-8 years. After that, it is advisable to completely renew the plantings.
Strawberry gives good harvests berries for two years. In the third year, the yield is greatly reduced. After the third full harvest, the plantation should be eliminated.
By this time, it accumulates diseases and is overgrown with malicious weeds:
- bindweed
- wheatgrass
- dandelion
It is easier to plant new strawberries than to weed out those weeds.
Dig up the soil under the bushes finely, without breaking lumps, so that autumn moisture, melt water and snow can be absorbed better. And some of the pests will die from frost.
New plantings of shrubs, trees, strawberries, mulch with humus, compost or peat. This will replace digging for you. Light loosening will be enough. If you mulch with straw, hay or sawdust, they must first be treated with urea or ammonium nitrate at 20-25 g per sq. m.
First, pour mulch 4-5 cm from the trunk, and when frosts begin, cover the trunk circle completely.
In October, you can sow seeds:
- apple trees
- stone fruit crops
- japanese quince
- viburnum, etc.
During the winter they will undergo natural stratification and will sprout in the spring.
Seasonal work of gardeners in October
Your garden: jobs of the month.
There is still plenty to do.
- First, not all of the harvest has been harvested.
- Secondly, in the second half of October it is time to plant winter garlic and, therefore, before it is too late, it is necessary to prepare a garden bed.
We plant winter garlic.
In advance, you need to think about areas for planting onion sets, about beds for winter crops. Do not forget to prepare garden soil, humus, compost for future seedlings and spring transplantation of indoor plants.
Of course, you can get by with purchased potting soil mixtures, but it's still better when tomatoes, peppers, eggplants will develop in a similar soil mixture during the seedling period, and later in the garden.
It is also necessary to store the soil for podwinter crops. If you put it in the shed, it will not freeze by the time you need to fill the seeds of carrots, parsley, etc. in the sowing grooves.
What will we sow in October
So, the first in a series of October works are green manure. It doesn't make sense to sow spring green manure anymore, but winter crops (rye, winter wheat) are about time. Before the onset of frost, they will have time to ascend, grow up and, therefore, have a good winter.
It is important not to overdo it with watering. If the soil on the bed is dry, before sowing, pour it over the prepared grooves (you can do it in several steps). This will be enough for the cereal seeds to sprout and grow actively.
If the beds are no longer watered, the roots of green manure, in search of moisture, will actively develop deeper, loosening the soil at a depth inaccessible to a garden shovel. In addition, deep roots pull up nutrients from the lower layers of the soil, which is also very important for increasing its fertility.
Garden planted with green manure.
Summer residents, whose winter green manures are already growing in the garden, ask when it is better to dig them up - in the spring or already in the fall?
- First, it depends on what kind of green mass the green manure has grown. If there is a lot of greenery,
you can dig it up in the fall. - Secondly, it is better to plant green manure in the soil in the fall, if in the spring we are going to occupy the site with early vegetables and potatoes.
- On the beds set aside for thermophilic nightshade crops, siderates can be dug up in the spring.
In the fall, under digging, you can bring in incompletely rotted manure, compost: until spring, they will have time to turn into good organic matter in the soil.
It is better to leave ready-made humus, compost for mulching garlic and onion beds (after planting), winter crops, which we will carry out no earlier than November. We choose a place for winter crops in the sun, where melt and spring waters will not stagnate.
Fertilizer for garden beds.
For digging, we bring in up to a bucket of good compost or humus and according to Art. spoon of superphosphate and potassium sulfate. On a well-leveled garden bed, 15 cm apart, we make sowing furrows. (The soil for filling the seeds is prepared and stored under the roof.)
We will sow after the temperature has steadily decreased to a slight minus. If sown in late October - early November, the seeds of cold-resistant crops (carrots, parsley, dill) can sprout and die after the onset of frost.
In the second decade of October, we plant winter garlic
We plant small onion sets with a diameter of no more than 1 cm a week later than garlic. Both garlic and onion should only take root before frost.
If, according to forecasts, frosts should occur soon after planting, we will throw humus or compost into the beds: under a layer of mulch, the soil will not immediately cool down and the bulbs will have time to take root.
If October is warm, it is better to mulch the garlic and onion beds after a cold snap, so that the soil does not warm up during warming periods and the garlic and onions remain dormant until spring.
There is no waste in the garden, there is organic matter
Let's take the time to tidy up the compost heap. Remove its top layer and fold it "to reach a free-flowing condition." We will also add post-harvest plant residues there.
It is pleasant and convenient to work with such a "compost pit".
At the bottom of the pile, compost, as a rule, is ready by autumn (unless, of course, we did not forget to layer the plant residues with earth, water them) and they can warm the root zone of garden, perennial ornamental and garden plants for the winter.
In the spring, there is no need to clean such a shelter. Compost, having fulfilled the role of insulation in winter, begins to work as a soil improver. When sorting compost, do not forget to choose crumbling from it. They can simply be put in some kind of vessel: the birds will have something to feast on.
We take a shovel
To dig or not to dig up the beds in the fall and when is it better to do it?
If the soil on the site, constantly replenishing with organic matter, has become structural and does not compaction much over the season, it can simply be processed shallowly with a flat cutter.
Heavy, compacted as a result of frequent watering, areas without digging poorly absorb rain and spring moisture, snow is blown off them without lingering. Both are bad for soil health. Dig up the beds that have become compacted during the season, after adding compost, humus, superphosphate and potassium sulfate.
If wireworms, scoops, beetles were annoyed on the site, it is recommended to dig up the soil as late as possible in order to turn it to the surface and freeze the pests.
The hardest work in the garden in October.
It is better not to disturb light soils (sandy, sandy loam) in autumn: do not dig, do not apply fertilizers. When dug up, such soil is strongly eroded: the already poor fertile layer is blown away by the wind, washed away by rains, melt water.
Fertilizers applied in autumn to light soils are washed out into the lower horizons inaccessible to plant roots. On such soils, beds of garlic, onions, perennial vegetables (sorrel, asparagus, onions for herbs, rhubarb) must be mulched in winter, otherwise, after a snowless winter, shoots can not be expected.
And the thicker the insulating layer, the more chances of successful overwintering of plants.
In stationary greenhouses, in which the same vegetables are constantly grown, it makes sense to replace the topsoil. We put the soil from the greenhouse in a pile, interlayering with fallen leaves, mown lawn grass, manure (if any).
In the next season, it is important not to let the stack dry out. After two years, the rested soil can be returned to the greenhouse by sending the next top layer removed in the greenhouse for recovery.
We continue harvesting.
In October, every day can be the last day of stay in the beds of root crops, cabbage. Vegetables should not be allowed to freeze. Carrots, being in the ground, may not suffer from mild frosts, and beets with their root crops “for show” will be damaged and will not be stored.
You don't have to rush to dig the daikon: let it gain weight and juiciness. It can be covered with non-woven fabric on arcs.
We are not in a hurry to harvest the parsnips: it can even overwinter in the garden. It is believed that parsnips taste better in cold weather.
Later, you can dig up the root parsley, leaving a few plants in the garden for spring greenery. We do not cut the leaves from the parsley that remains in the garden for the winter, otherwise the plants may not overwinter. Several parsley roots can be immediately transplanted into a pot to be placed on the kitchen windowsill.
In October, it's time to harvest the cabbage.
Light freezing makes the cabbage sweeter. But if we are going to provide ourselves for the winter not only with sauerkraut, but also with fresh cabbage, it is better to remove it before frosty weather.
If, nevertheless, the cabbage freezes, let it thaw in the bud and only then cut it off.
Cabbage, intended for storage, is either pulled out by the roots, or a long stump is left. While undressing the head of cabbage, 3-4 cover sheets are not touched.
Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi will safely survive the first light frosts without compromising the quality of the crop. On broccoli, we regularly cut off the small heads that form on the side shoots. We will remove the plants themselves from the garden after the frost.
After harvesting the heads of white cabbage, heads of Brussels sprouts, broccoli heads and colored stalks and stumps remaining on the beds, pull out by the roots, chop and put them in compost. They should not be left in the ground until spring.
If Brussels or cauliflower do not have time to form a full-fledged crop, the plants are dug up by the roots and "transplanted" into wet sand or soil in a greenhouse or basement.
If there is no basement, cabbage can be grown in a greenhouse, covering it with plastic wrap, straw mats or old blankets. Cabbage heads will grow up due to the nutrients accumulated in the cabbage stump, leaves.
Onions - we are not in a hurry to dig leeks, but we leave a place in the basement where you can dig in plants. In the meantime, once again we poke up the leek stalks so that they bleach.
Additionally, add earth to the stalks of stalked celery. Many summer residents, in order to protect the stems from contamination, bleach celery by wrapping the petioles with thick paper that does not transmit light.
Stalked celery.
In bleached petioles, the amount of essential oils, and therefore the bitterness decreases, they become more tasty. It will not be possible to preserve juicy petioles for a long time after harvesting, so we leave the celery in the garden as long as possible.
Before the onset of cold weather, it can be covered with non-woven material or a film on arcs. Of course, we cannot save it like this all winter, but we can prolong the consumption of useful stems.
Although after cutting it is possible to keep celery stalks fresh for several weeks. We cut off the upper part from the petioles (where the leaves are), rinse them well, dry them so that no water droplets remain on the stems, wrap them in a paper towel, pack them in a plastic bag and put them in the refrigerator.
We take the last opportunity to prepare for future use as much parsley and dill as possible: dry, freeze or salt. Dried herbs can be ground with a blender and added to soups, main courses, salads.
The greens, imparting taste and aroma, will not "get tangled" in the teeth. Wash the spinach leaves, dry them, pack them and put them in the refrigerator to prepare a green puree soup at least in October-November.
We will try to dig up the potatoes planted in the second half of summer on a fine day in order to immediately ventilate and scatter in the shed to dry.
In October, do not delay the final harvest of tomatoes, peppers, eggplants. Harvested in fine warm weather, they are stored longer. Eggplants, packed in a plastic bag, are best kept in the refrigerator. And so that the fruits do not sweat, they are first cooled and only then placed in a bag.
Having washed, dried and packed in a plastic bag, you can store the radishes harvested in October for a long time.
October works of florists
About what works await florists in October
