Cutting Back Autumn Raspberries
It’s around this time of year you see sticks flying through
the air.
It’s not the prevailing winds that cause this phenomenon its children
and their parents attempting to get conkers out of the trees before they fall
down by themselves. It can be fun to watch, the sticks have more chance hitting
the thrower on the way down than the conker and there’s some dodging to be had.
It’s a good job everyone has on their winter woolly hats for protection. I’m
surprised the people who ban playing conkers haven’t picked up on this as it
appears far more dangerous than anything happening in the playground. For now
though we’ll enjoy the unregulated fun and frolics, both the taking part and
watching.
Sweet chestnuts can be fun to collect too. They don’t make
very good conkers, they are similar to inedible horse chestnuts but you’d have
to be in a pretty dark room not to spot the difference. The ones you want are
covered in fine, hedgehog-like spines and the nuts look slightly flattened with
a tuft at one end. If you are roasting them (yum) you might want to make a
small slit in the shell before roasting or they might explode. I used to eat
them raw at school instead of sweets and loved the way the inside furry bit
seemed to take all the moisture from your mouth.
Another bit of fun at this time of year is kicking your way
through the mountains of fallen leaves, made all the more enjoyable when they
are dry and crispy.
If you have a lot of leaves in the garden it might not be as
much fun though. Make life easy for
yourself and only collect leaves where absolutely necessary. You can clear some
off the lawn if they are thick as this might kill the grass, if there are just
a few the worms will take care of things.
The worms can also sort out the ones that are sitting in the
borders too. This isn’t laziness but
necessary to keep the cycle replenished and gives a nice protective mulch to
keep in moisture, protect young plant shoots in spring and keep weeds down.
However, where leaves have drifted deeply or are smothering smaller plants or
silver Mediterranean herbs and perennials, clear to keep the plants dry and
airy. You can lightly turn the soil and put the collected leaves straight into
the ground around plants if needed or put them in bags to rot down for next
year.
Sweeping leaves off paths and patios is all you need to keep
the garden looking cared for and covers for a wealth neglect in the beds.
Gone with the Wind
If you live in a windy area as most of us do in Inishowen, you
might want to trim a few brittle or shallow rooted shrubs. Roses and buddleia
can be topped by a third to prevent wind-rock, which can undermine stability
over the coming months. If you have autumn raspberries that aren’t on supports
you might need to cut them down to ground level. A clean cut is advisable, but
more accurate pruning can follow on the other side of winter when the sap is
rising.
More Suggestions
Keep an eye out for annual weeds. Winter may be approaching,
but they will still grow if weather is mild. They probably won’t set seed now
but they will be itching to in early spring.
Shore up spring cabbages by drawing up soil around them to
steady the developing heads against wind rock. We have Kale and broccoli which
is far too high to mound soil around so I might need to stake them with bamboo
to keep them upright. I’ve found that even if they do fall over it doesn’t
really affect the crop in spring.
Excessive moisture can rot alpines, so protect groups of
plants by making a shelter from two columns of bricks with a sheet of clear
rigid plastic or plastic stretched over the top.
Wash slippery surfaces. Algae, moss and other grime can
easily be removed by scrubbing with water and a few drops of specialist
cleaner, such as Jeyes Fluid Path, Patio and Drive Cleaner. If you have a large
area to tackle, pick up a pressure washer.
Make the most of dry spells by painting fences, sheds,
arches and wooden garden furniture with preservative.
Cover the compost heap with a piece of old carpet or
cardboard to maintain temperatures suitable for the rotting down the material
inside.
Clean up your mower before putting it away for the winter.
Put it on its side and remove caked on grass and mud with a stiff brush,
washing off any really stubborn bits with soap and water.
Planting spring bulbs can be completed early this month as
possible, check the planting depths.
