GARDEN TASKS

Salad days

Be prepared to create great winter salads by planting cos lettuce, mizuna, chervil, rocket and cress. If you’re in a cool climate, plant in a good sunny spot.

Seize the day

You needn’t wait for the shortest day to plant garlic. The earlier it’s planted, the bigger the yield. Add a general fertiliser high in potash before planting.

Stop the rot

Stone fruit trees should be treated with a copper spray now to get a head start on controlling brown rot and leaf curl next season.

No more gaps

As gaps appear in the garden, sprinkle annual seeds such as poppies, calendula, cornflower, marigold and the like. They’ll establish over winter and flower in spring.