6 top tips for autumn prep

1. Clear the decks

Some crops will have done their dash by now.

For example, my sweet corn is finished, so rather than leaving it in the ground, i am hauling it out and planting something else in that spot. i chop up the stems and add them to my compost, or i run them over with the lawnmower and use them as mulch.

2. replenish, refresh & reboot the ground

i know i bang on about this constantly, but soil prep is vital – and it always pays dividends. Before planting anything new, dig over the ground and mix it all up. next, work in loads of compost, worm castings or sheep pellets. adding goodness to the ground before new plants go in gives the next crops the best chance of flourishing.

3. Water Wisely & save any rain

water is such a precious resource, and increasingly in need of conserving any way we can. many of us, me included, take water for granted. culturally, we need to change our thinking and water more wisely.

My top tip: Only water where your plants are. Sometimes we feel we need to make all the soil moist for crops to grow, but this isn’t the case. water the ground and not the foliage of the plant – moisture is taken up by the plant’s roots, not the stems.

4. save seeds for free Crops next season

Saving seeds is nothing new; it was the only option our predecessors had. Select good, healthy-looking produce to dry and remove the seeds from. Tomatoes, zucchinis, chillies, eggplants, capsicum, sweet corn and beans can all be saved for seed this month.

Leave a few carrots to go to seed, along with parsley, lettuce, coriander and other flowering edibles. I simply pick the mature heads and hang them upside down in a paper bag – over time, the seeds dry and fall into the bag.

5. plant ahead

Keep planting and sowing edible seeds now. if room is at a premium, be bold and plant a few extras in pots and containers. it’s amazing what will grow on the windowsill or in a hanging basket. Think leafy greens, kale, celery, beetroot and salad greens.

6. Crop Care

Get on top of the hungry caterpillars. The trick with white butterflies is to not let them land. They cannot lay eggs if they can’t land on anything. The best way to prevent them from landing is to cover your crops; i find nets brilliant. Fly swats or energetic kids are useful too, as is the sprinkler on a hot day, because it makes butterfly wings stick together (which sounds terrible, but it works a treat if water is plentiful). You rarely see white butterflies on a rainy day.