In The Fruit Garden This October

October is a busy and rewarding month in the fruit garden. It’s harvest time for many fruits, but also a key period for preparing for next year’s growth. Here’s a list of top tips for the fruit garden in October:

🍏 Harvest What’s Ready 

October is a prime harvesting month for: 

• Apples & pears – pick before they over-ripen or fall. Store only unblemished fruits in a cool, dark place.
• Quinces & medlars – harvest towards the end of the month.
• Late raspberries – continue picking autumn-fruiting varieties like ‘Autumn Bliss’.
• Grapes – harvest as sweetness peaks; protect from birds.
• Figs – pick any ripe ones; remove small immature ones that won’t ripen before frost. 

🌱 Plant New Fruit Trees & Bushes 

Now is the ideal time to plant bare-root fruit trees and bushes, while the soil is still warm and moist: 

• Apples, pears, plums, cherries 
• Currants (black, red, white), gooseberries 
• Raspberries & other cane fruit 

🛠️ Tip: Prepare the soil well—add compost or well-rotted manure and ensure good drainage. 

✂️ Pruning Tasks 

• Strawberries – cut back old leaves and remove runners (unless you want new plants).
• Summer-fruiting raspberries – cut down old canes to ground level (leave new green canes).
• Blackberries/loganberries – cut down fruiting canes; tie in new growth.
• Trained apple & pear trees (espaliers/fans) – tidy up if not already done in late summer.
• Avoid pruning stone fruit (plums, cherries) now—wait until summer to reduce risk of silver leaf disease. 

🐦 Protect Crops 

• Net trees and bushes to keep birds off late fruit. 
• Check tree ties and supports—make sure they’re not cutting into bark and are strong enough for winter storms. 

🧹 Tidy Up & Mulch 

• Clear fallen fruit to reduce pests and diseases like brown rot and apple scab.
• Rake up fallen leaves around trees (especially if diseased).
• Apply mulch around the base of fruit trees and bushes (not touching the trunk) to suppress weeds and conserve moisture. 

🪱 Check for Pests & Diseases 

• Look out for codling moth-affected apples (maggoty cores).
• Remove and destroy mummified fruits hanging on trees (they harbour disease).
• Check trunks and branches for canker or galls. 

🌿 Propagate & Divide 

Take hardwood cuttings of: 

• Currants 
• Gooseberries 
• Figs 

Lift and divide overcrowded rhubarb crowns if needed. 

💧 Watering & Feeding 

• Water newly planted fruit in dry spells. 
• No need to feed now—avoid pushing growth before dormancy.