FruitReceived
My gooseberry bush lost all its leaves in June. Something green ate them. Will it come back next year?
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Patron · October 2026
October's letter is in.
For Rosalind
Lifting the dahlias
Dear patrons, this is the month the garden turns. Somewhere in the next three weeks the first proper frost will come down the valley…
Read the letterOn the back · Dahlia
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sow | Sow in April | Sow in May | ||||||||||
| Harvest | Harvest in July | Harvest in August | Harvest in September | Harvest in October |
Posted Sun 4 Oct · 4 min read
Lifting the dahlias, and the hedge I cut too early
How to grow Plant tubers in May after the last frost, 60 cm apart. Lift two days after the first autumn frost and store dry and frost-free.
For Rosalind
Next letterSunday 1 November
Send a question by 25 October to be in it.
4 questions sent 3 sown this month 6 in your notebook
Reader · free
Your free letter is waiting.
For Rosalind
Leaf mould and broad beans
Dear readers, it rained on nineteen days last month, and the onions I left out on the path to dry are now mostly compost…
Read the free letterOn the back · Broad beans
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sow | Sow in February | Sow in March | Sow in April | Sow in October | Sow in November | |||||||
| Harvest | Harvest in May | Harvest in June | Harvest in July |
Posted Sun 6 Sep · free to every reader
Leaf mould, broad beans and a wet September
How to grow Sow Aquadulce Claudia 5 cm deep, 20 cm apart in a double row. On wet clay, sow on a ridge so the seed never sits in water.
For Rosalind
Next letterSunday 1 November
Send a question by 25 October to be in it.
4 questions sent 3 sown this month 6 in your notebook
Sow now
All the month's jobs| Plant | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GarlicGermidour, 15 cm apart | Sow in February | Harvest in June | Harvest in July | Sow in October | Sow in November | Sow in December | ||||||
| Broad beansAquadulce Claudia, on a ridge | Sow in February | Sow in March | Sow in April | Harvest in May | Harvest in June | Harvest in July | Sow in October | Sow in November | ||||
| Sweet peasFive to a deep pot, cold frame | Sow in February | Sow in March | Harvest in June | Harvest in July | Harvest in August | Harvest in September | Sow in October | Sow in November | ||||
| TulipsThree times their depth, in pots | Harvest in April | Harvest in May | Sow in October | Sow in November |
SowHarvestThis month
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Send Elspeth a question and a photo of the plant. She answers six in every letter and replies to the rest here.
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Latest in your notebook
Add a sowingGarlic GermidourRaised bed Bed 3, 15 cm apartSown 24 Oct
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Note what you sow or plant and when, and next year you'll know what worked.
Add a sowingBrackenhurst LettersNo. 10
October
Lifting the dahlias
Brackenhurst LettersNo. 11
Next
Out Sunday 1 November
Brackenhurst LettersNo. 9
September
Leaf mould and broad beans
Brackenhurst Letters · Elspeth Trevail
A letter from the garden, every month.
What to sow, what to cut back and what went wrong this year, from thirty years on two acres of heavy clay. Then ask your own question.
- A letter every month, and every letter before it
- What to sow and do this month, week by week
- Ask a question with a photo of your plant
- A notebook of what you sowed and when
No password: we email you a one-time code. Readers get one letter free; patrons pay £6 a month.