Gardening tips for October: Strip out bedding

Time to strip out summer bedding in our gardening guide to October

urL6ifFe3HDJrZ5K6ukyo3.jpg
Raking

It sometimes happens that summer bedding looks particularly splendid at this late season, but we must acknowledge that it can't go on for much longer, not least because it's time to get the next wave in the ground. Therefore, strip it all out, a simple enough task given that there's not much root attached, chop it up and put it on the compost heap. Once the bed is tidy, single-dig it, incorporating some organic matter in the trench. Whack it down with a fork, rake it level, put a neat shoulder round the edge and you're ready to go.

* Follow Country Life on Twitter

* 'Like' the Country Life Facebook page

Country Life

Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.