Dig out weeds with long tap roots

As you create new beds ready for planting up a host of shrubs and flowers, it’s a good time to dig up pesky perennial weeds with long tap roots, such as dandelions, dock and mallow, from newly cultivated areas. Doing this now will hopefully mean less weeding next year! With a large or small fork, try and dig out the whole root, as any piece left will regrow. Any gardeners with clay soil will find it’s more workable in autumn, as it’s no longer baked hard from summer but not yet sodden with winter wet, which will help in retrieving weeds.