October means one thing in the vegetable garden, an overload of work with too little time to get through it all and which has me running around like a headless chicken! Talking of which, if you have chickens, October has the hens getting broody and sitting on eggs while Henry the rooster is relegated to the side lines where he tries his luck at getting aggressive with humans. So we have had to have a few lessons in rooster discipline over the last few weeks. I have also worked out the importance of having a rooster on the property as their crowing definitely creates a ‘rooster rhythm’. In the run up to mid summer when the days are getting longer and there is a lot to do, his early morning calls remind you of this. The crowing gets even earlier during full moon and here again there is often more to do at this time of the month as opposed to the new moon time of the month when one can sleep in a little.

Having planted out the first of the summer veggies October is all about feeding these young plants. Of course nothing beats good soil preparation, home made compost from your own garden with a helping hand from some manure (preferably cow). Beds that were properly prepared in August and September will have enough nutrients in them to keep you going until the summer solstice in December, but additional liquid feeding at this time will help. There are two schools of thought about liquid feeding. Some people believe that nothing replaces proper soil preparation and composting and that liquid feeding is a bit of a cop out, a short cut and unnecessary. Others believe that it is an easy way of supplementing a plants nutritional requirement and is a quick way of seeing results. In my own garden I am a compulsive and over eager liquid feeder! However I have learnt that it is good to liquid feed when you plant out seedlings, when you transplant shrubs and is a good pick me up fro flowering plants such as roses after they have flushed out their flowers. What has become evident is how expensive commercially purchased liquid fertilisers have become and I have resorted to making my own from chicken manure, stinging nettles and comfrey leaves. Simply stuffed into an old orange bag and allowed to soak for ten days the resulting tea can be diluted down so that it looks like a weak cup of black tea and watered directly onto the veggie beds.

What I also do in October is give all the fruit trees a dose of Magnesium Sulphate (Epsom salts)While at it you can give some to your flowering plants such as roses and hydrangeas as the magnesium will promote good fruit and flower production. A good handful to your fruit trees and a table spoon to your roses will be good and then you repeat this dose after the summer solstice in early January.

Last month we spoke about the production of Perry in the United Kingdom and our neighbours have recently installed a still (legally!) and plan to start making their own schnapps. What I find exciting about this is that it makes use of excess fruit that would normally be thrown away or put on the compost pile, but it also means that the long forgotten species of fruit trees such as the common pear and quince are suddenly remembered and planted.

It is also a good time to plant your cucumbers and do not be afraid to bring them into the garden and plant them over an arch, over a pool pergola or even where you plant your sweet peas in autumn. The best are the simple English cucumbers with their prickly skins and pippy insides that make you chew properly!