Gardening Tips for Autumn

To keep your garden looking lovely this autumn (and all year round), here is a slightly more detailed version of the tips we have on our homepage. Happy gardening!

• Keep beds and lawns clear of leaves with regular clear ups. Many plants are prone to smothering from leaves.
• Keep leaves separate from your compost to produce leaf mould, a valuable commodity around the garden.
• Make sure that all old leaves, stems and tubers from potatoes are lifted
• Keep weeding to prevent them becoming established
• Dip ends of newly lifted canes in a garden disinfectant before storing away for next year. This will prevent onset or transfer of disease
• Lift and shred woody stems of crops such as sweetcorn, beans and tomatoes. Once shredded, they can go into the compost heap.
• Store apples and pears before the weather deteriorates the fruit. Place on slatted trays in a cool dark area until needed. Do ensure they are insulated from frost though. Alternatively, store apples in food bags but ensure you provide holes for the air to circulate.
• Prepare ground for new fruit bushes next year by digging in organic matter now.
• Clear summer bedding plants from beds and borders. Fork over the areas working in well-rotted organic matter.
• Plant up your spring bulbs. Buy early while there is still a good range in the shops. Choose plump, firm bulbs with no visible signs of cuts or bruising. Short green sprouts are ok, give those with long spindly shoots a miss.
• Rake out moss and weeds. Rake hard to scratch out moss and “thatch” (the accumulation of dead grass and old creeping stems which make a mature lawn feel springy). Don’t worry if it looks a bit sparse afterwards, it will soon recover.
• Feed your lawn. A special low-nitrogen feed will toughen the grass up, ready for winter.
• Deadhead roses as the flowers fade and prune when the last flush of flowers is finished.
• Plant winter bedding and spring bulbs in containers.
• Stop feeding permanent plants growing in containers.
• Move tender plants under cover in cold areas.
• Start collecting fallen leaves to make leafmould. There are many reasons why leafmould is good for the vegetable garden including: improving soil structure, increasing soil water retention, and it also encourages earthworms. If you have 1 or 2-year old leafmould ready to use, apply as a mulch for winter coverage of bare soil.