Local Life - Wigan - October 2020

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Carry on
Gardening
by Angie Barker
When I started out on my gardening journey many,
many moons ago (Hubby sniggers) I thought that
gardening came to an abrupt halt come October
as the chilly nights drew in. How wrong I was. So,
following the increase in interest in gardening and
home grown vegetables that lock down brought, I
thought I would share with you some good reasons to
carry on gardening through the colder months.
1 Home grown veg. There are a number of things
you can grow - even over winter outside in the
garden. October is a great time for planting the
following:
• Kale plug plants – ‘Red Russian’ is a good one to
try
• Garlic bulbs – ‘Provence Wight’ – should produce large
tasty cloves
• Red Onion setts – ‘Red Cross’ – lovely colour
• Spring Onion seeds which can be sown under cloches
– give ‘White Lisbon’ a go
• Rhubarb which will be ready for harvesting next June,
‘Strawberry’ has good flavour
• Rocket – ‘Dentellata’ has lovely peppery leaves
2 Step back and assess your outside space, both in terms
of plants and layout. Make a list of what has worked for
you this year and what has not and think about changes
that can be made over the coming months so that you are
raring to go come the spring. The soil will still be warm
enough to plant in up until December or even into next
year if the winter is a mild one.
3 Get hold of a spring bulb catalogue or look on line.
There is nothing nicer than on a chilly autumn evening,
curling up in front of the fire with a mug of hot chocolate
(I have marshmallows in mine, Hubby has a shot of
Baileys in his) and planning your spring bulb display. Just
remember that if you are ordering Tulips, they should not
be planted until November at the earliest.
So, far from hibernating inside over the winter months,
keep gardening and your garden will reap the rewards
next year and you will stay fit enough to burn off all those
extra calories that the forthcoming festivities will bring!
Angie is a qualified awardwinning
garden designer
who will plan your garden
to your needs from start to
finish, supplying reputable
contractors and the ideal
plants.
Call Angie now for your free consultation!
Angie Barker Dip GD (Inst GD) BA (Hons)
Garden Design For All Seasons
Tel: 01942 522 405
Mob: 07857 008 383
www.angiebarker.co.uk
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