The surprisingly important job to get done in the garden this month, according to RHS’s Garden Almanac
Don't forget to add this low-maintenance, rewarding task to your October gardening jobs list
It's all too easy to focus on the big tasks this month, with lots to harvest and lots of plants to prepare for the colder weather; however, according to RHS's Garden Almanac there's one surprisingly important task to put on your to-do list.
Whether or not you've got a long list of gardening jobs to complete this month, autumn is a surprisingly busy time for plant life. As well as avoiding the autumn gardening mistakes that are all too easy to make this season, there are some jobs you may not have thought to add to your list before.
Luckily, we have some expert help from the RHS and their fantastic 2027 Garden Almanac complete with a month-by-month guide to gardening. And this month we spotted a little piece of advice that we'd never thought of before, so we just had to share.
Want to make sure you're doing the right jobs in the garden at the right time? This book is a complete guide to ensuring your plants and outdoor space thrive all year long, no matter the season.
Now, we're usually trying to get rid of weeds from our gardens, but according to the gardening experts at RHS, Zia Allaway and Guy Barter, weeds should actually be cherished this time of year.
"Cherish winter weeds such as annual meadow grass, chickweed, red deadnettle and shepherd's purse, for example. These plants will do little harm now, as long as they don't flower and set seed, and provide cover for wildlife," they explain.
"Leave the plants in situ from autumn to February, after which many will start growing rapidly, flowering and setting seed before you know it. Hoe them off, smother with a mulch, or incorporate them into the soil," they suggest.
There are quite a few wildlife-friendly weeds that are best left alone if you're happy to have a little more of a rewilded garden this season.
There are some other ways you can sort the garden out regarding weeds if you don't want to let everything and anything grow.
"Unwanted perennial plants are best removed with a spade or fork in autumn before their foliage dies back, and they become hard to find," explain the RHS experts.
"Dandelions are an exception - their flowers are valuable to pollinators, and they don't set much seed in winter, so tolerate them if you can," they say.
You don't need to have an entirely rewilded garden, but if you do want to help wildlife during the autumn, leaving some weeds to grow can be a massive help. And of course, completely low-effort for you too.
If you want help keeping your garden happy and healthy all year round, the RHS The Garden Almanac 2027 is the perfect guide, and it makes a fantastic gift too!
