Weekly jobs

Autumn is here and the leaves are beginning to fall. Collect these and add to your compost heap. Or just collect in bags – puncture a few holes – to leave for a year to rot down.

It’s a great month for planting, the soil is still warm and will allow roots to settle in. So take a visit to your local garden centre and treat yourself to something.

Fed up with your lawn? It’s also a good time to roll out new turf. Prepare ground well removing all weeds and rake to a fine tilth before laying afresh. Reduce mowing on existing lawns. Lift tender corms and plants like gladioli, cannas and dahlias before the winter frosts. In milder places, you might get away with leaving in situ with a layer of mulch. Any houseplants that you took outdoors for their summer holidays can be taken back indoors now.

Clean out veg beds of old materials and plant out spring cabbages and winter lettuces. Raise your pumpkins onto bricks to keep them dry and help them ripen for Halloween.

It’s also good time to clean up the greenhouse for winter.