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Thompson & Morgan: Andrew Tokely's Weekly Gardening Blog

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The weather has been very changeable this week but with some fine weather forecast for the next few days, we will get a chance to keep up with any little tasks still outstanding.

Whilst the weather was too wet to get on with some outside jobs, I made use of the time to check over my onions that I have in store for use later in the year. Onions are best stored in a cool dry place like the garage. Whilst checking these, if I noticed any with soft rot appearing, I either discarded them or, if they were not too badly affected, put them to be used first to avoid any wastage.

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Begonias Laid In Trays to Die Back

My tuberous begonias have been great this year and have provided the garden with a superb display all summer. They are now beginning to turn yellow and die back, so these have now been lifted and placed in trays in the greenhouse to finish dying off. It is important to let the stems and foliage all die and to allow the stems to fall off naturally as this will give time for the dying stems to return goodness back into the tubers. The tubers can later be stored for next year's display.

We have already had quite a lot of rain, but before we get too much more, one important job that must be done in readiness for the winter is to raise up any containers with plants growing in them. By standing these pots on some stones, bricks or laths of wood will keep the drainage hole slightly off the ground and allow free drainage, helping to prevent these containers from becoming waterlogged during the wet winter months.

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Autumn Leaves

Last weekend we had some strong winds so I spent a few hours raking up leaves, as these are really falling down at the moment. Once raked up, these are stored in old black bin liners with some water added to them if they are dry. I store them behind my shed and then within 12 months these will have rotted down into some very useful leaf mould for use around the borders. I only have a few neighbouring trees to rake up from, unlike some parks or around the trial grounds at T&M.

As my patio now has fewer containers on it than it did in the summer, I will be giving it a good scrub with a stiff broom or, for stubborn areas, I will use T&M’s Algon Patio Cleaner. This will clean up the slabs, as well as removing any moss and algae that could become a potential slip hazard during the cold winter months ahead.

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Planting Leek Pips

If, like me, you are a keen vegetable exhibitor, then you will have probably been growing an old set of leeks so you can produce your own leek pips. Last weekend the heads of my plants had some very good young pips ready to root. Leek pips grow as small grass-like growths out of a leek seed head. Carefully split the leek head and at the bottom of each of these growths there is a small bulb or pip. These should then be teased away from the head and placed into trays of multipurpose compost. These trays should then be placed into a heated propagator. My small pips started to root within only five days; each one will be an exact replica of the original leek it was taken from. I will grow these pips on under heated glass all winter until they are ready to be planted out in April or May next year.

This weekend I hope to take down the runner bean canes and tidy the plot ready for digging later in the month. The stalks have all dried up and can now be pulled off and put on the compost heap or on the bonfire. Once all the canes are taken down these will be tied into bundles and stored away for another year.

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Rhubarb Now Dying Back

Finally this week, the rhubarb crowns are now dying back so it is time to clean up any old leaves. Once the crowns are clean these can be mulched with mushroom compost or well-rotted organic matter that will give the crowns a feed and some protection, so that an earlier crop can be produced next year.

Listen to Andrew on BBC Radio Suffolk on Saturdays between 8.00 and 9.00am.