JOBS for the week

If you grow cabbage, make sure they are netted for the winter to protect against birds tucking in.

Bring potted herbs such as mint, basil and parsley indoors to the kitchen windowsill.

Remove stakes from herbaceous borders that have died back.

You can propagate soft fruit bushes from hardwood cuttings so if you’d like to grow gooseberries next year, see if a neighbour, friend or maybe someone with an allotment will let you take a clipping. Cut a section from a healthy shoot and insert into pots of cutting compost.

Don’t forget some of your pond plants may be tender and need protection from the big freeze.

Borderline hardy plants such as Melianthus and some Agapanthus that you are leaving in the ground should have a heavy layer of compost around their base to protect them from frost.

Give your garden tools a clean before tidying away for winter – remove any earth and apply oil to prevent rust. Linseed oil will help prevent wooden handles from splitting.

Bare root roses can be planted between now and March.