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Home grown
Autumn gardening is a busy time with shorter days and wetter weather making all but the basic veggie garden impossible. So gather in the last of your summer crops and finish the work that needs doing while the ground is still relatively dry.
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Feed all your citrus trees and water the fertiliser in well.
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Plant new trees now.
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Check for borer in your citrus trees by squirting a small amount of kerosene in the borer hole and then plugging the hole with putty.
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Broad beans can be planted now, plant the seeds straight into the ground.
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Continue planting cabbage, cauliflowers, brussel sprouts, broccoli, leeks and celery.
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Protect your plants from slugs and snails.
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Stagger your planting so that you get a continual supply rather than everything at once.
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Try baby vegetables, grown in the same way as full-sized vegetables.
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Seed tapes are a hassle free way of planting seeds straight into the ground.
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Onions can still be planted now
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If your rhubarb has become overcrowded, lift and divide.
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Herbs such as mint, tarragon and oregano can be cut back, divided and replanted.
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Keep the vegetable garden free of weeds, stirring up the soil will aid in the evaporation of excess moisture by letting in air to the top layer.
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Remove all rotting fruit from under your fruit trees, so bugs will not winter over in the ground.
Cover or green crops
If you are going to leave your vegetable garden empty for the winter months, consider planting a cover crop. This will suppress weeds and stop valuable nutrients being washed away. Plant a crop of lupins or mustard that covers the soil when not in use. They act as green compost, adding nitrogen to the soil, prior to spring planting.
Frost protection
Keep your frost protection cloths handy and watch the temperature at night. Look for clear, cold nights as a signal of impending frosts.
Flower garden
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Winter annuals like pansies, viola, primula, cinerarias and polyanthus are ready to plant now.
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As perennials die away, prune back the old growth and if they are crowded then this is the time to lift and divide.
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Prune your roses lightly, thinning or removing spindly or diseased growth, then mulch with compost or pea straw for the coming winter.
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Prepare ground for new roses.
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Autumn is a good time to carry out any new planting of trees and shrubs.
Lawn care
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Top-dress your lawn with a fertiliser to help it recover from the dry summer months. Follow the application rates on the packet, as too much fertiliser can burn your lawn.
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If you are looking to re-sow old lawns or plant new ones, now is the time to do this – grass seed germinates well during autumn.
