Kitchen Gardener Rob Smith uses quiet time to do essential garden maintenance
Make the most of this quiet time of year to do essential 'housekeeping'
Most of us will have been using a multitude of tools in the garden throughout the year, yet as the ground becomes harder to work, and in some places almost impossible, it’s time to think about cleaning and taking care of those tools that won’t be used for a while.
I always like to make sure the tools (and any soil stuck to them) is nice and dry, then use a stiff wire brush to clean the head and handle, followed by sharpening the cutting edge just to take any notches out of the metal. A good coat of linseed oil on wooden shafts and handles will help to preserve your tools. It’s also good practice to wipe your oily cloth over the metal to prevent rust patches developing, then your tools are ready to store for the winter.
Be warned that clothes coated in linseed oil can spontaneously ignite, so always follow the use and disposal instructions on the bottle!
Now that all your soft fruit will have been harvested, it’s time to take netting off fruit bushes so you can weed between plants, and also allow birds in to help get rid of any pests that may be overwintering on or around the plants, plus it makes removing perennial weeds easier.
Netting left on over autumn can become a problem for birds and other wildlife. They can get their feet stuck in it, and it can also act like a sail, rocking and loosening supporting structures. After removing netting, check for twigs and other vegetation stuck in it and check for holes – these can be repaired with string or wire – then pop it into carrier bags for ease of storage, with a tag on the bag saying which bed it belongs to.
As herbaceous herbs have almost lost all their foliage, you can now divide congested plants or those you want more of. If you pot divisions up into small terracotta pots you can even gift the plants to gardening friends for Christmas!
Mint, chives, lemon balm, oregano and edible alliums, such as ‘Quattro’, can all be divided now. Use a sharp spade or trowel to dig up the plants and shake off most of the soil so you can easily see how many plants you’ll be able to get from the original specimen; four are normally achievable by simply quartering the plant. Each section needs a good bit of root and at least one growing tip.
When transplanting new plants into individual pots, it’s best to keep them at the same soil level as they
were as a mature plant, then top up with a mix of John Innes No 3 and multi-purpose compost with a handful of grit for drainage.
You can leave the plants outside for the winter in a sheltered position, or put a couple in the greenhouse for fresh leaves earlier in the season next year, as they’ll sprout earlier.
Though a kitchen garden is mainly about edibles, don’t forget to add as many flowers as you can as they attract pollinating insects to your plot. For a bit of colour I’m also adding tulips to the edges of the raised beds now as they look good, but they don’t get in the
way of the veg as they’re on the perimeter of the bed.