October brings a real sense of seasonal change in the garden – the days shorten, the air feels fresher, and leaves begin to turn and fall. It’s the perfect time to prepare your plot for the colder months ahead, protect tender plants, and make the most of Autumn harvests.
Here are our top tasks for October, with suggestions for how Knowle Nets products can help keep your garden thriving.
Protect Tender Plants
Frosts can arrive earlier than expected, so safeguard delicate crops and ornamentals now. Cloches and fleece covers provide excellent protection for young lettuces, brassicas and late salads.
Try using Cloches to extend cropping into the cooler months - Horticultural Fleece gives lightweight frost protection over raised beds or containers and Easy Fleece Jackets are a quick way to plant protection.
Clear Fallen Leaves
Fallen leaves can smother lawns and borders, so clear them regularly.
Create a simple leaf mould cage with our Heavy Duty Wire Mesh, perfect for composting autumn debris or add to a composter to create your own leaf mould - a really invaluable soil improver.
Harvest Remaining Crops
Pick the last of beans, courgettes and tomatoes before the frosts arrive. Root crops like carrots, beetroot and parsnips can be left in the ground but cover with a Net Easy Tunnel to deter pests and keep them clean.
Plant Garlic, Onions & Shallots
October is ideal for planting hardy alliums that will grow through winter and be ready next summer. Protect newly planted bulbs from birds who love to pull them out.
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Bird Netting will keep them safe while allowing light and rain through.
Cover Brassicas
Cabbages, kale, sprouts and broccoli benefit from extra protection as the year turns. Pigeons, in particular, can devastate crops.
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Our Fruit and Vegetable Cages provide strong and reliable cover and can be fitted with Butterfly Netting or Bird Netting depending on your needs.
Prepare Fruit Bushes & Canes
Cut back fruited raspberry canes and tie in new growth. Check supports for damage and replace netting where needed to keep birds away from autumn berries.
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Use Fruit Cage Netting to ensure your crops are protected right through winter.
Sow Green Manures
Empty beds can be sown with green manures like field beans or grazing rye to improve soil over winter - protect new growth with a quick cover of Bird Netting.
Wildlife Care
October is also a month for wildlife. Leave some seed heads for birds, create log piles for insects, and make sure ponds are netted before too many leaves fall in.
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Our Pond Netting prevents leaves clogging the water and helps keep fish safe from predators.
Tidy and Store
As growth slows, it’s a good moment to tidy the shed, wash pots, and clean and store nets and supports. Properly cared-for, your Knowle Nets products will last for years to come.
October is all about preparing and protecting - With the right covers, nets and structures in place, you can enjoy harvests for longer and give your garden the best chance to thrive through winter.
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