Gardeners’ World – November 2022

GQT – Many thanks from Scruton Allotments to everyone who supported our Gardeners’ Question Time, we raised over £200! The Chris Snell Potato Challenge was won by Andrew Venus with a weight of 2.7kg.  He received the trophy kindly donated by Jane Snell. The challenge is open to all and next year we hope to have even more entrants.

The climbing roses are now ready for pruning, even if they are still flowering as some are with the mild weather. Cut out any weak growth, tie in new strong growth and cut the remainder back to 2 or 3 buds to prevent wind damage in the winter. Continue to cut down perennials  unless the seedheads are interesting or providing food for birds in winter.

On dry days I collect seeds in paper bags, mainly annuals such as tagetes, cosmos, ageratum and sweet peas. Dry them for a few days, seal and label them ready for sowing next year. This saves money as seeds are becoming more expensive – like everything else!