unite Leisure Gardenwise
AUTUMN – HARVEST AND COLOUR
Autumn is here. A season of harvest, colour and preparation. A marvellous time to discover, learn and practice new gardening skills.
Planting bulbs is a great way to get lots of flowers next year from early to late spring. Plant in pots or open borders. Bulbs can be expensive so give them a good start with fresh well-draining compost.
Autumn is a very good season to plant trees, shrubs, hedges and herbaceous plants. Take advantage of buying bare root stock sold at this time of year, it’s a cheaper option than potted material.
Despite all the rain we’ve had lately don’t forget to water after planting. Dry autumns kill more new plants than a wet season. Combine plenty of compost with the soil to retain moisture and provide good drainage.
Planting an orchard may seem ambitious in a small area but is a realistic possibility. Modern dwarfing varieties of stock make fruit trees suitable for small gardens.
You could opt for trained trees formed into espaliers, fan or cordon shapes. However, these pre-trained trees are expensive. An alternative is to buy two-year-old trees and train them to shape. Training fruit trees yourself is longer but is a much cheaper and more satisfying option. Online video tutorials are helpful in guiding through the formative pruning.
A relatively new method of fruit growing are single cordon trees. This type of tree forms a compact column. You can plant a mini orchard in a very small space. They are expensive but you can expand your orchard year by year.
Autumn means the exciting potential of harvesting wild mushrooms. Another way is to cultivate varieties at home. It has never been easier to grow your own. Oyster, Shiitake, Enoki and Button mushrooms are just a few examples. The mycelium (spawn) can be bought as impregnated dowels. These can be drilled into logs or used to inoculate the growing medium like woodchips or compost. Methods vary so research and find ways that work for your situation.
37 uniteLANDWORKER Autumn 2024
A polytunnel is a great addition to your growing area. I repeat the advice as now is a good time to buy or make one. Choose or build a quality polytunnel if you can afford to but don’t be put off by cheaper models or materials if it’s the only option. They all work well in different ways.
Make a tour of your outdoor space to secure fences, prune broken or dying branches, repair loose ties, secure cables and loose plastic sheeting. Do this before the high winds and storms are with us.
n By Phil Saunders
Adobe Stock
Clifford Harper
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