October planting

October is the best time of year for planting I think.

The soil is warm and inviting and the days are beautiful with weak precious light.

I bought lots of new bulbs from the Malvern show a couple of weeks back so I'll be spending the next few days putting them in.

I'm putting some straight in the ground into freshly dug soil that I've previously added compost to,

And I'm also planting up a few tubs this year with bulbs as I've lots going on in the beds.

Make sure you follow instructions for planting depths and soil, if you are unsure, type the name into google and up should pop planting instructions. 

If you're planting in tubs always make sure your soil is free draining so that your bulbs don't rot, but also be careful not to let them completely dry out! October can be a dry month.

It's still warm where I live in the UK so I've been doing direct sowings of ammi, scabiosa and larkspur.

These hardy annuals don't really like root disturbance so sowing direct takes care of that, although I will still be sowing some in seed trays in the greenhouse for back up.

Sowing hardy annuals in autumn is a great time of year to get started!

The soil is warm and will encourage roots to settle down nicely and bed in for winter.

Nothing much will happen above the ground till spring wakes everything up, but these plants will be stronger and bigger with a better crop than those sown in spring.