Time to spruce up

Autumn signifies an end of season tidy-up for the garden. John explains some ideas to prepare the plants for the winter months

As autumn arrives, the summer flowers fade and crop harvesting is well under way, and we theoretically enter a quiet phase of gardening, so take the chance to carry out the end of season tidy up.

October is my target month for final weed clearing from the allotment plot, rose, shrub and flower borders and along paths and fence lines.

At this time of year hoeing isn’t very effective as the sun isn’t strong enough to shrivel weeds up, so hand weeding is preferred and weeds can go on the compost heap.

Then as leaves begin to fall, rake them up and put them on the heap too. On the vegetable plot some plants lose the lower leaves such as swedes, kale and sprouts, so remove these to the compost heap.

If you don’t have room for two compost heaps, try to keep fresh additions separate from old rotted down compost, as this will be in demand as the winter digging starts.

Any land cleared of crops can get composted and dug over to leave it rough for winter, to allow frost to break down the soil surface.

It is now too late to sow any more green manure crops. However if tares, clover, field beans, mustard or winter rye have been sown there is no rush to dig these in unless they were sown early and are likely to start flowering, in which case trample down the plants and dig them in carefully so they are completely buried and left to rot over the winter.

Late autumn to early winter is a good time for getting out the secateurs, loppers and a saw as fruit trees and bushes, tall shrubs, roses and raspberries will all need pruning.

If you have access to a wood shredder put all the pruning through the machine and the resultant fine or coarse shreddings will be invaluable for allotment paths, mulching fruit trees or adding to the compost heap.

In the glasshouse, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and grapes will now be at the end of their season, though I did pick some Black Hamburg grapes in early December a few years back. This year most will have been picked by the end of October.

Take the chance to carry out a good clean up. Wash the glass both inside and out, removing any moss and algae from overlapping glass panes. Give the gutters a good clean as they usually fill up with moss and leaves and all sorts of debris. Repair any broken panes of glass

October is my target month for weed clearing from the allotment plot, rose, shrub and flower borders

and make sure the sliding doors run smoothly.

Bring wooden patio tables indoors as there won’t be much opportunity to eat outdoors for quite some time.

I store ours in the garage, which also spurs me on to clear it out and make room for tables and storage of fruit, flower bulbs and corms, and vegetables. Check over the patio tables and give them a coat of varnish to preserve them for another year.

Towards the end of the month we put out the bird table for winter and top up with fresh seed. However, be guided by the weather as there may still be plenty of natural berries on trees and shrubs; if the winter is mild birds can still find insects, grubs and worms in the soil.

The lawns should just about be finished growing now so give them a last cut, but set the blades slightly higher than normal so they have some growth to see them through winter.

Now is a good time to get out the springbok rake and give the lawn a good scarify to remove thatch and moss. It also improves the lawn if you spike it with a garden fork every six inches to a depth of at least four inches.

Brush in a sandy lawn compost to fill the holes, improve surface drainage, and add a sprinkle of a long-lasting lawn fertiliser.

Check lawn edges and repair any broken bits to keep the lawn looking pristine.

Clockwise from main picture: six-month-old compost ready to use; John tops up the bird table; tidying up the borders; and pruning grape vines.