Fact Sheet Two - Download here THE GARDENERS DIARY
WEEK 2
10th October 2004
COMPOST: Decide on the position of your compost bin/heap considering the following:
Your compost may attract flies in the warmer weather
so don't position it too close to the house.
You will need to make sure the ground you put the bin on to has reasonable drainage.
Before you position your bin, lightly turn the soil over on the patch you have decided to use.
Your compost will need some warmth so don't place in a completely shaded area. Build waste up in stages.
Ensure large items like newspaper or branches are shredded down to allow them to rot down easier. Place about 20cm of each type of material. E.g. 20cm of grass cuttings followed by 20cm of kitchen waste (peelings, coffee grounds, egg shells) followed by 20 cm of shredded newspaper and so on. Do not add the following:
Food waste such as meat.
Diseased plant material.
Non living things such as plastic, metal etc.
Domestic animal droppings. Add layers
Once the compost starts to break down keep adding layers. Turning
Keep turning the compost to help the breaking down process. Decomposition
The compost can take up to 3-18 months before the material is ready for use. If you are impatient then compost accelerators are available from most garden centres and nurseries. These can increase the decomposition allowing you to use the material within 6-8 weeks.
SAVE YOUR SUMMER BEDDING PLANTS: Summer bedding plants include plants in pots, tubs and hanging baskets. If you have marigolds peel away the green covering near the flowering part of the plant and you will find the seed part of the marigold. Store these seeds in a paper (not plastic) bag somewhere dry for use next year. Discard any Lobelia. You don't need to re-use this and you can pop it onto the compost heap. If you want to save your geraniums the first thing to do is discard all flower heads both dead and flowering. take them right back where the flower joins the main stem. Once you are left with just the green part of the plant (no flowers or buds) you may find one or two dead or rotting bits. Cut all these off and discard. Cut back all stems on your geranium to approximately 6" and now the plant is ready to re-pot. The root ball of the plant will help you decide on the size of pot for re-planting. Make sure the pot has room for the root ball. There is no hard and fast rule for this so just pick a pot that will allow you plant the geranium with some new compost and still have enough room to grow. Don't force the root ball into a pot that's too small. Most plastic pots have adequate drainage holes but some ceramic pots may require you to cover the bottom with broken pieces of pot to aid drainage. Re-plant geranium making sure it is surrounded by fresh compost. Store plant somewhere fairly warm. You could put pot in spare bedroom, conservatory or a properly heated greenhouse. Water very sparingly throughout the winter.
PLANT YOUR WINTER CROP (JAPANESE ONION & GARLIC):
When deciding on the area to plant your winter crop leave some space between the edge of your plot and the planting area. This will allow you to have an area to walk round the crop and tend at a later date. With the short edge of a rake create a small trench which is roughly 4" deep and try and keep the trench straight. On an onion bulb it should be obvious which way up you plant. The end which should have small roots would need to be planted facing into the soil and the more pointed end should be pointing upwards.
Garlic should be planted with the pointed part of the bulb facing upwards. Push bulbs into the ground by hand leaving half the bulb uncovered. Plant bulbs the width of a rake or roughly 9 inches apart and then put a bulb in between. These bulbs in between will be lifted earlier than the rest and all this will become clear in later programmes. So this means there should be a bulb every 4-5 inches Using the end of the rake or a spade lightly cover the onions/garlic Make sure rows are roughly 9 inches apart.
THE DIARY
ORNAMENTAL:
Count out the casualties of the summer months. Plants, which are past saving should be removed and replaced. Scan gardening books and other literature to help make up your shopping lists. Look at plant types that have done well in your garden. Remember to also add to the list a Tree & Shrub Compost to help give your new additions a good start in life. When creating new areas, start with the backbone plants like the large shrubs or trees slowly working your way forward to the herbaceous and bedding at the front. When choosing plants always look at the flower colour but also the foliage, the texture and the structure of the plant. One thing I was always taught is that the flower is the most insignificant part of any plant. It has been proven that you can have plenty of colours in a garden and there can be not one flower in sight. GREENHOUSE: Keep an eye on the night temperature. If you're over-wintering half-hardy bedding plants in your greenhouse it is worth using a greenhouse heater. Electric heaters should be well dusted down and use a vacuum to suck out the dust from the fan and grill. Also ensure that the thermostat works correctly. Gas fires are best checked by a qualified engineer and if it is a portable heater using cylinders make sure that you have enough gas to see you through each night. Paraffin heaters should have new wicks fitted and ensure that you have enough kerosene to see you through each night. At night you want to be keeping the frost at bay and do not allow the greenhouse temperature to go lower than 10'C. LAWN:
Time to start that never-ending autumnal job. Remove leaves that fall on your lawn every two to three days using a special plastic leaf rake.
This will remove the leaves and will do less harm to the turf. If the leaves are left too long the grass underneath can soon yellow and weaken and worm activity will increase causing more unsightly worms casts.
Listen to The Gardener's Diary with Luke Ashmead on BBC Three Counties Radio every Sunday afternoon at 2.00pm Contact The Gardener's Diary Here BBC Three Counties Radio 98, 103.8, 95.5 and 104.5FM | 
