This year my sweet peas have been glorious. I think I have watered them more than in previous years, which could have helped, but I have picked bunch after bunch for the house, and as you know – the more you pick the more that grow!

For the cost of a packet of seeds I think they are very good value and just need a little cosseting in the planting hole to help them reach their potential, with some well-rotted compost or manure for their roots to get into.

So, this month, sow some in pots made of the inside of toilet rolls, lined with a bit of newspaper to stop the compost falling out the bottom. Soak seeds overnight and plant two per roll, using seed compost, which you can buy at the garden centre. Water in and leave to germinate inside at 18-22°C.

Once germinated, pinch out the smaller plant and they can be moved outside to a sunny cold frame, or as I did last year just left against the south facing wall and I don’t think I even covered them over at all! They will be ready to plant into their position in the spring.

Enough fruit to fill the freezer
October is a good time to prepare the ground for new fruit trees and bushes. If planting on heavy soil, add plenty of grit to ensure drainage is adequate. Work-in plenty of well-rotted manure into each planting position and add a handful of slow release fertiliser when you plant the new trees. Fruit trees are really becoming popular as they take little looking after (unlike vegetables) and can provide enough fruit to fill the freezer to use all year round.

It is at this time of year that the Sedum Herbtsfreude – or the Ice Plant – comes into its own, as the borders settle into the last round before the winter. It starts early in spring with the fat rosettes of succulent, lettuce-green leaves, topped with salmon-pink flower-heads in summer, maturing to pinkish-bronze then coppery-red in autumn. This versatile perennial is a perfect filler plant for a sunny, well-drained spot. A valuable late source of nectar for butterflies and bees, the dried flowerheads provide structure and colour in the winter garden and in November they still look interesting.

You should finish planting your spring bulbs this month, but leave Tulips till last as they fare better if planted late October or even November to limit their exposure to soil-borne diseases.