After the expected rainfall at the beginning of Octobergrain growers can start the future grain crop by sowing.
When choosing the fields, it should be borne in mind that wheat is not self-tolerant – it should not be sown in a field that was occupied until harvest with wheat, rye, oats, triticale or barley. The best option is to grow it after legumes – peas, beans, fenugreek, because they enrich the field with nitrogen. Good predecessors are also early potatoes, watermelons and melons. Cereals develop excellently even after trenches – corn, sunflower, tobacco and beets.
Prior to sowing, the area should be tilled and disced and kept free of weeds. The final treatment before sowing is done at a depth of 6-8 cm to create a loose layer with a firm bed underneath.
When sowing, wheat is fed with phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. Nitrogen is applied twice – 1/3 of the fertilizer rate is applied during the last pre-sowing treatment, and the remaining 2/3 as early spring feeding in February or March.
In October, the harvesting of the late corn continues. It is carried out completely mechanized in three ways – on cobs, on grain or simply cutting the whole plant. On the cob, corn is harvested until the end of full maturity at a humidity of up to 25%. Grain is harvested with combine harvesters equipped with adapters when the moisture content is 12-18%.
Harvesting the potatoes is the most important concern of the producers in the mountainous regions. Immediately after removing the tubers, sorting must be done and measures must be taken for the storage of the produce, which will be realized in the following months.
For lavender, the best time to plant it is October. Those who have decided to grow it should bear in mind that they will achieve good results even on poor and sloping terrain, but the soil must first be deeply cultivated (30-50 cm) and abundantly fertilized with manure – 3- 5 tons per hectare. Planting takes place between October 15 and November 15, and maybe in the spring between February 20 and March 20. The plants are at a distance of 40 cm from each other, and the distance between the rows should be 1.40 m. The straighter the rows, the easier the subsequent machine treatments. The cuttings are placed 2-3 cm deeper than the root collar, then tamped well to expel air and increase the rate of interception.
October is the best month for planting mint. Due to most of the moisture in the soil, the plants take root well and successfully overwinter. Those planted in the spring often find themselves in dry soil and die due to the rapidly approaching summer high temperatures.
The peanuts are now ready to harvest. Drying takes place outdoors, but to avoid the danger of autumn fogs and moisture, it is best to dry them in ventilated rooms. The leafy stem mass of the plants is a valuable fodder for animals.
Vegetables
When frost is in the forecast, pick whatever tomatoes and peppers are left in the field or yard, and … make a pickle or leave them to ripen in storage. After harvesting the vegetable crop, the good farmer necessarily clears the occupied area of plant waste and plows it.
In the second half of October, the harvesting of root vegetables also begins – carrots, beets, celery, turnips. They are taken out when temperatures drop to around and slightly below freezing. This usually happens at the end of October, and this year most likely in November.
Late cabbage is harvested from late October to late November. If frost has fallen while the cabbage is on the cob, it is good to cut it when it has thawed to keep it longer. The leeks are removed in the same terms.
It’s time to plant winter garlic for early spring consumption when green. The whole month is suitable, but the soil must be prepared at the beginning of it, because due to the deterioration of the weather, this can later become quite difficult.
Outdoor radishes can still be sown in warmer areas of the country. Under favorable conditions, they will be ready for collection in 4-5 weeks.
At the beginning of October, the cultivation of seedlings for salads, which will be grown in greenhouses, begins. At the end of November and in December, they will be ready for consumption.
Fruity
Autumn varieties of apples and pears are harvested throughout October. Quinces also ripen and are harvested during this month. Medlars, where and if they are still there, are best peeled after the first frost or two.
Immediately after harvesting the fruit, a good farmer will free the trees from broken and dry branches. It is most correct to burn them in order to destroy the enemies who have prepared to hibernate in them.
After leaf fall, stone fruit species are sprayed with a 2-percent bordeaux solution against bacterial wilting, curling on peach, stone fruit and early brown rot on apricot, cherry and sour cherry.
Autumn plowing destroys a large part of the pathogens wintering in the soil (scab, red leaf spots, white rust and others) and enemies such as fruit wasps, leafmining moths, leaf curlers, fruit worms and more. Depending on the type of support of the fruit trees, tillage is applied at different depths.
In the case of strongly growing rootstocks and a deeply located root system, plowing is done to a depth of 25-30 cm, and in the case of low-growing rootstocks, to a depth of 10-15 cm.
With deep plowing, 4-6 tons of manure are applied per hectare. Fertilization with phosphorus and potassium fertilizers is practiced: 60-80 kg/ha of double granulated superphosphate, 40-80 kg/ha of potassium sulfate in 3-4 years at a depth of 35-40 cm. Nitrogen fertilizer is applied several times a year, and in autumn uses 1/4 to 1/3 of the intended rate of 15-20 kg/ha. With the fertilizers, you will restore the nutrients removed with the harvest and ensure normal development and regular fruiting of the trees.
The planting of fruit trees begins after leaf fall. The holes are dug two or three weeks earlier.
Fruiting strawberry plants should be dug up and collared to protect them from winter frost.
The most suitable period for planting raspberries is from the end of October until the onset of permanent cold. It is also possible to plant in the winter months when the air temperature is above 5 °C, as well as in the spring – until the end of March. The row spacing is between 1.8–2 m. Planting is done manually in furrows about 35 cm deep. Plants are placed 2–3 cm deeper than they were in the nursery. They are shortened at a height of 15–20 cm from the soil surface.
Vineyards
Most of the wine grape harvest has already been harvested. In October, the last variety to be harvested is Mavrud. It still fails to ripen properly, and if it does, there is no beerier wine than Mavrud wine. Grapes must be harvested in the warmer hours of the day, because otherwise they have a hard time fermenting.
Pay attention to the temperature in the room where you put the grapes for fermentation from the last harvests. If it is high, you need to cool it. This is easily done by airing during the cold hours of the night. More often it happens that it is cold and fermentation cannot start. In such cases, measures should be taken to warm the room.
The condition of the grapes placed for fresh storage should also be monitored regularly. If there are rotten kernels, they should be removed immediately by cutting them with scissors. To combat rotting, burning sulfur (sulfur strips) and keeping the temperature low is resorted to.
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