As it gets darker and colder this month, there are gardening jobs to be getting on with in the shed or the warmth of the house. If you use heated propagators, heat mats or grow lights, now is the best time to check that they are all in good condition and work well, especially if they have not been used for a few months as mice can damage the wiring. After making sure everything is in good order and working well, make sure the equipment will still do the job for you in spring and look at replacing any that's damaged.
By ordering new equipment early in the month you'll beat the Christmas postal rush, plus you can always drop hints to family and friends if you need something new for the garden!
CLEANING HAND TOOLS
Hand tools also need some attention, especially those which won’t be used until the spring. I find that it’s best to remove any rust or stubborn marks with a wire brush before using a coarse file to work any nicks or dints out of the cutting edge; after this you can use a finer file if needed. Finally, I wipe the whole tool over with boiled linseed oil, both the wood and metal alike. This gives protection to both and helps rejuvenate the wood. One word of warning: make sure to keep any linseed-oiled rags in a tin and keep the lid on the bottle as they can combust in certain circumstances.
While you are cleaning, it’s worth removing the writing from any plastic plant labels so they are ready to use in spring. Pencil can be removed with water, or methylated spirits (or nail varnish remover) will get rid of pen. As your labels break over time, it’s worth buying wooden lolly sticks to use as replacements; just remember they only last a year before they begin to rot, but they can be put on the compost heap.
INSULATING TAPS
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der December 2022-Ausgabe von Kitchen Garden.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der December 2022-Ausgabe von Kitchen Garden.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
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SEPTEMBER SPECIALS
This month, with sweetcorn, figs and blackberries on the menu, Anna Cairns Pettigrew is not only serving up something sweet and something savoury, but all things scrumptious
FLAVOURSOME FRUIT AUTUMN RASPBERRIES
September - is it late summer or the start of autumn? David Patch ponders the question and says whatever the season, it's time to harvest autumn raspberries
SOW GREEN THIS AUTUMN
Covering the soil with a green manure in winter offers many benefits and this is a good time to sow hardy types, says KG editor Steve Ott
A HISTORICAL HAVEN OF FRUIT AND FLOWERS
KG's Martin Fish takes time out from his own plot to visit a walled garden in Lincolnshire which has been home to the same family for more than 400 years
RESTORING THE BALANCE
The phrase regenerative gardening is often heard in gardening circles, but what is it? Can it help you to grow better veg? Ecologist Becky Searle thinks so, and tells us why
WASTE NOT, WANT NOT
Garden Organic's Anton Rosenfeld shares his expertise on using compost made from green bin collections with handy tips on getting the right consistency and quality
Celebrating Organic September!
In this special section we bring you four great features aimed at improving your crops and allowing nature to thrive
SEEING RED
Do your tomatoes have a habit of remaining stubbornly green? Or perhaps you're lucky to enjoy lots of lovely fruits - just all at once. Either way, Benedict Vanheems is here with some top tips to ripen and process the nation's favourite summer staple
NEW KIDS ON THE BROCCOLI!
Rob Smith is talking broccoli this month with a review of the different types available and suggestions for some exciting new varieties to try
A NEW kitchen garden
Martin Fish is getting down to plenty of picking and planting on the garden veg plot, while Jill is rustling up something pepper-licking good!