November from the Potting Shed
This autumn has made up for the hot summer. I have more colour and growth now than in
September, so I am just enjoying the moment.
Now that the leaves are starting to fall it is a good time to harvest them, but only from areas such as
drives and open lawns. Leaves that have gathered around trees, shrubs and in borders are there for
increasing the biodiversity of the garden. I collect my leaves using a rotary mower. This chops up the
leaves and adds a little grass to the pile which helps breakdown the leaves quicker. Adding moisture
to the leaves is also important as dry leaves will take years to breakdown.
Autumn is the time to plant and sow overwintering broad beans, onion sets and garlic. If the ground
is wet then they can be planted/sown in cell trays and planted out into the garden later in the winter
or early spring. Because of the mild weather weeds are still growing, so keep the hoe moving
amongst the seedlings as they emerge.
Autumn is also a good time for planting trees, shrubs and fruit bushes. It gives the plants chance to
get some roots into the surrounding soil and be more resilient to drier summers. Remember that it is
a square hole so that roots go outwards and not round and round. Plans grown in pots need to have
the root ball sliced vertically two or three times to encourage new roots to venture outwards. No
need to add fertiliser or rich compost to the soil, it is better to use ‘Root Grow’ mycorrhizal fungi
that help the roots expand into the surrounding soil. Water in and then apply a mulch over the top..
Geoff