Here at Workbridge, our staff and service users grow a great selection of healthy plants in the nursery, and pot around 400,000 plants per year to sell in our beautiful Garden Centre.
Senior Vocational Skills Instructor Helen Bass is one of the experts in the horticulture team.
She has taken time out of her busy schedule to share some Autumn advice for your garden, allotment and other green spaces:
1. In your flower garden, deadhead regularly to extend the flowering season. Everything’s a little late this year because of the hot weather, and roses in particular have started to re-flower recently.
2. It’s the perfect time to collect seeds for next year. Pick them as they ripen, store in a jar or envelope, and pop them somewhere cold (the fridge is perfect, if you have room).
3. You can take cuttings in September – choose healthy stems without flowers, and use free-draining compost.
4. Keep on watering your hanging baskets and containers, and feed them once a week with a general fertiliser such as Liquid Growmore.
5. Once your summer bedding plants have finished, come to Workbridge Garden Centre to buy your Autumn bedding plants!
6. You can plant Spring flowering bulbs now until December... we have a great selection in our Garden Centre.
7. On your veg patch, things are looking rather Autumnal now. Where you have bare ground, think about planting green manures to protect and feed your soil.
8. It’s a great time to plant onion sets and garlic, for harvesting next summer. We have a good range in the Garden Centre right now!
9. You might find you have loads of green tomatoes, despite the amazingly sunny summer we’ve just had. This is because tomatoes won’t ripen very well when the temperatures exceed 30 degrees – so lots of us will be left with green tomatoes this year. Time to get the chutney recipes out!
10. Lastly, and least pleasantly, keep on top of all the perennial weeds. You’ll be glad you did when next Spring comes and you have a clean plot!
Also:
- Keep encouraging wildlife into your garden, as they will help to control garden pests. Feed the birds, and provide shelter and houses for insects and hedgehogs.
- Be ready for the cold weather! Stock up on fleece to protect your plants from frosts, sweep up leaves regularly to prevent diseases (and bag-up to make leaf mould compost), and move your most tender plants inside if you can.
- Don’t forget to sit back, relax, and enjoy simply looking at the beautiful Autumn leaves and berries.
Visit Workbridge Garden Centre in Northampton for all your gardening needs!
Address
Workbridge
Bedford Road
Northampton
NN4 7AD
Opening Times
Monday to Friday: 9am–3.45pm
Saturday: 9am–4pm
Sunday: 10am–4pm
