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Old Geezer the Gardening Guru: Little winter jobs

Friday, 11 November 2011 2:52 PM

By Old Geezer

At this time of year things are generally winding down on the vegetable plot or allotment. There is a tendency to forget about it until the warmer weather; however there are things which still ought to be done.

Here in Norfolk it has been extremely mild so far this autumn, so much so I fear I planted my over-winter peas too soon.

If you haven't already done so, get your pea sticks in. The protection they will give could make the difference when the frosts arrive, as they surely must do soon.

Another little job is to get the hoe out. Every year absolutely masses of weed seeds germinate in the autumn and spend the winter growing roots. That makes it much harder to rid your plot of this menace come spring.

So hoe every where you can then wait for an hour or so of sun shine or breeze, which will kill most of them. This will most likely induce another flush of seedlings, but that is good as they are easy to kill when tiny. They can only grow once, so keep hoeing until the winter weather sets in.

This should give you a clean weed-free start to the year and your crops will benefit from the lack of competition from weeds come spring time.

Now is also a good time to top up your compost heaps as the leaves are falling en-mass. Rake them up and add them to your heap.

If you have a lawn, it will not hurt to trim it lightly, as it will certainly still be growing. Set your mower a bit higher than normal and use it with the grass box on, don't bother to rake the leaves off first, let the mower do the work. The mixture of chopped leaves and grass will then make brilliant compost.

Many people cut back their shrubs at this time of year. After you have selected any suitable twigs as pea sticks it may be worth hiring a chipper/shredder from a tool hire company. It could work out cheaper than several trips to the dump if you can't have fires in your garden.

Also anything shredded can go onto the compost heap. Ash from a bonfire is very valuable for the compost heap because wood ash is high in potassium, a vital plant food. So if you have had a bonfire then you should spread the ash over a vacant part of your plot and then hoe it in, or spread it evenly on the compost heap, covering it with grass or leaves to prevent it blowing away. Alternatively you can simply mix it into the top of the heap with a fork.

All the best, Old Geezer.

Next week: Protecting your garden from the worst of the winter weather. I hope it won't be too late!

Old Geezer (Paul Rix) is the author of 'Beyond the Potting Shed' a comprehensive guide to growing your own. Available from all good book shops or Amazon.

Got a question for Old Geezer? Send them on over to editorial@aboutproperty.co.uk.

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