DIARY OF THE GARDEN..OCTOBER
- Vegetable garden
In this period, we must clean up the vegetable garden from all the finite summer crops, weed out the spontaneous plants, dig the soil, fertilize it with organic matter and proceed with the sowing of the new seedlings.Depending on the area in which we live, this month is perfect for sowing carrots, turnip greens, broad beans, lettuce, peas, parsley, radish and rocket. While beet, cabbage and cauliflower, chicory and fennel, spinach, can instead be transplanted. The cabbage seedlings, already well developed and rooted, are located in well-spaced rows, depending on the final size of the ball that is formed between the leaves: it is very important that the brassica heads do not touch each other as they develop, to avoid the development of rottenness or even the malformed growth of the vegetable. Of the fennel plant we consume the basal grumolo, or the thick elongated rosette created by the lower end of the leaves, white and fleshy; to allow the grumol to swell and become crunchy and juicy, it is advisable to stop it as soon as it begins to develop; for this reason it is good to keep the rows of fennel well away, so that you can periodically bring the soil close to the grumolo, to keep it in the dark.
- Garden and balcony
During the month of October there are many jobs to do in the garden, to ensure that it is maintained at its best and the plants can grow luxuriantly. It is good to eliminate broken branches, prepare the ground, cover plants that do not withstand winter temperatures and fertilize the varieties that produce winter blooms instead. We can sow in the ground: calendula, helichrysum, cornflower, gypsophila, jubilant, poppy, sweet pea, ramson. We also prepare the flowerbeds of spring-flowering bulbs, if placed at home now they will give us a beautiful flowering starting from next year. Among these we point out a very beautiful specimen that must be planted in the month of October: the fritillaria imperialis. It is a plant characterized by large bulbs; these specimens grow at their best even inside the vases, the important thing is that these are quite deep.October is also a month of cuttings; we prepare cuttings of roses, using old wood, of bougainville, camellia and hydrangea; we prepare the containers to be filled with a mixture of sand and peat in equal parts, then place the cuttings, interrupting them a few centimeters, after having immersed them in the rooting hormone; we can leave them outdoors, but away from the sun and the wind. Summer and spring flowering plants, which have finished their life cycle, such as dahlias and gladiolas, must be grubbed up and the soil cleaned up, while the bulbs can be collected and stored in bags.
- Fruit plants
The work to be done, in this period, particularly concern the collection of fruits such as apple and pear trees. Apple trees and pome fruits in general should be harvested when they are completely dry, so it is necessary to wait for the hottest hours of the morning but before the sun warms the fruit excessively. This precaution is very important for increasing the conservation of the fruit. Less frequent will be the irrigation operations that will be dosed according to the number and amount of rainfall. Different will be the plants that will be pruned in this period before entering into vegetative rest. The operations that are never lacking and that are constantly practiced are the anti-parasitic treatments that sometimes make the difference between a good harvest or a massive loss. In this month the plants that can receive the pruning interventions are: peach, nectarine, apricot, plum, actinidia.
- Olivo
The treatments against the fly must be performed only if necessary, in this period in the areas bordering the sea, the fruits are changing color (veraison) and consequently the harvest period is approaching. An important treatment in this period is that aimed at treating the disease called "peacock eye". Far from the rains it is possible to use Bordeaux mixture or of the copper products, these treatments are also useful for the fight against cercospora and against the leprosy of the olive tree. With regard to the activity of copper fungicides, it is interesting to remember how they perform a dual function of protecting the leaves not yet infected by the mycelium and a defoliating action on the infected vegetation. The importance of this partially eradicating action is linked to the fact that from the fallen leaves on the ground the fungus can hardly infect the plant again. The work of the technician following eight farms continues, monitoring and sampling the olives weekly, the same communicates the "bulletin" with indications on the degree of infestation of the fly and the actions to be taken to reduce the damage. For more details on the techniques and products to be used for the defense from the oil fly, contact our qualified staff.
- Care of the turf
Autumn, together with spring, is a time for sowing the lawn. The best time is from the end of September to the end of October, before the temperatures drop too much. Autumn is also the time for the lawn to pass, which is used to conserve a green mantle even in winter. For this purpose, perennial ryegrass seeds are used, which tolerate situations of intense cold. The transnine, a term that may seem abstruse, consists simply in distributing on the lawn a good quantity of seeds of perennial ryegrass, taking care that they take root in the already existing grass. To make this happen we need to water after sowing to facilitate germination. Even in autumn it is good to fertilize the lawn, but in this season should be given priority to potassium (even slow release) that will give the right nourishment to the grass during the winter rest. It is important to distribute the fertilizer granules uniformly; at the time of the operation the ground of the lawn must be dry, moreover, it is necessary to water after the fertilization and in the following days, to favor the gradual absorption. What is very important in autumn is to remove leaves from the trees from the lawn using a rake or a blower. If the leaves remove the light from the grass, there is a risk that this will turn yellow or may rot. The shearing is then suspended when the grass slows down its growth, depending on the lowering of temperature and brightness.