What are your October gardening tasks? (annual topic)

October is such a great month! I love the changes in season, and now already there is that crisp, damp, chilly smell in the air.

On the allotment I will be cutting back all of my runner beans, but only once they have finished beaning. Same with my toms, and of course bringing in the last of the squash and pulling up the plants to go onto the compost heap. I will be moving my coldframe over the French Beans as I am hoping a little protection will provide ideal growing conditions for them so we can have a sneaky late crop. The last of the cooking apples need picking and if they are in good shape, I will wrap them in newspaper and store them on a tray in the garage. Hopefully very soon my winter onions and garlics will arrive mailorder, as I really need to get those set now before the weather gets to wet.

In the garden, the pond needs cleaning a little and we are going to reposition the stream, but I don't know if we will have time during October to do it. Mum has brought me a couple of big sacks of mixed daffodil bulbs which I will get this weekend, so they will all go in. I have already started to split perrenials and move things that have been in the shade and struggling, out into sunnier positions. My hanging baskets are all down, so like the rest of you, I will be thinking about what I can put in to fill them. I am thinking of some ivy and winter flowering pansies and something with bright berries - very autumnal and also christmassy.

In the greenhouse, the toms will be cut well back so the developing fruit will have a chance to ripen in the autumn and winter sun and the best chilli plants will be brought into the conservatory to overwinter.

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I'm putting in bulbs mostly, snowdrops of various kinds, tulips and other goodies. Cleaning up the daylilies somewhat, cutting back the strawberries where they are trying to crawl into the lawn. I just finished the last of the grapes and took out the withered remains of the greenbeans and sweetpeas. I'm planting a couple poplar saplings and small shrubs, trimming back perennials and deadheading roses (they bloom til December here). Yanked out pathetic looking primroses in favor of winter pansies and coleus in a couple planters and am thinking on what to put in my basket for wintering. (I like the idea of ivy mentioned above).

I should be digging and dividing, but doubt I'll manage to get much of it done this year - guess everyone just gets to be a little crowded.