What to do during October in your garden and greenhouse.

Your monthly gardening checklists

Flowers

Hardwood cuttingsHow to prepare hardwood cuttings

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Fruit and veg

Raise pumpkins and squashes off the ground to aid ripening

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House plants

For more house plant advice and inspiration visit our Growing and caring for house plants page.

Sarah Gerrard-Jones

Find out how to rescue your house plants with Sarah Gerrard-Jones in this podcast episode. Listen now.

Greenhouse

  • Clean out the greenhouse to get rid of debris that can harbour overwintering pests and diseases
  • Wash greenhouse glazing to let in as much of the weaker autumn daylight as possible
  • Bring potted tropical plants inside, including bananas, pineapple lilies (eucomis) and brugmansias
  • Plant hippeastrum (amaryllis) bulbs in pots on a warm windowsill for flowers by Christmas
  • Move potted citrus plants and fuchsias inside over winter, keeping them cool but frost free
  • Sow quick-growing microgreens for nutrient-rich pickings in just a few weeks, here's 10 microgreens to grow
  • Line greenhouse glazing with bubble insulation, as night-time temperatures start to drop
  • Keep indoor azaleas constantly moist, ideally using rainwater
  • Pot up the roots of lily-of-the-valley to provide fragrant winter flowers indoors
  • Water plants more sparingly as conditions turn cooler and the days get shorter
  • Sow sweet peas in deep pots for early flowers next summer
  • Force narcissus bulbs for fragrant indoor blooms in about 10 weeks
  • Spread out harvested onions and garlic on greenhouse staging to dry thoroughly before storing
  • Inspect plants you bring into the greenhouse over winter for any pests and diseases
  • Attach guttering to the greenhouse and install a water butt, to make good use of autumn rain
  • Clear fallen leaves from greenhouse guttering to ensure water butts fill up
Gardening through self-isolation - installing a water butt

Give water butts a good clean and ensure they are free from obstructions

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Garden maintenance

Use bags or boxes to make leaf mould

BBC Gardeners' World Magazine offers

Gardening offers
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Pineberry 'White Dream'

This unusual variety of strawberry, bred from two different strawberry plants, has a delicious pineapple-like flavour and incredible aroma. It’s very easy to grow and is even winter hardy.
£9.97£29.97

Supplied as 3 x 9cm pots.

Travel and events
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Bavaria & the Romantic Road

Cruise the Main and Danube, discovering the aptly named Romantic Road, the twisting pebbled streets of medieval Bamberg, enchanting Rothenburg and Bavaria’s second-largest city Nuremberg. Admire the scenery as you slowly cruise along the banks of the rivers.
£4049

pp. 7 nights, 8 days. Departs 19 August 2026 (more dates from August 2026). Includes free drinks package - see Riviera's website for details.