Things To Do In Your Garden This Autumn

As long summer days turn to chilly autumn evenings, it’s a special time of year for all gardeners.

With the soil in your garden still warm, now is your last chance to plant some spring bulbs, including daffodils, alliums, and crocuses. Tulip bulbs should be planted in November once the soil temperature has cooled down. It’s also the best time to plant soft fruits, such as strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries.

As summer comes to its end, it’s also the best time to visit your vegetable patch, collect what you can from the last of the summer crop (courgettes, tomatoes, salads, cucumbers, and runner beans), and check on apples, pears, squash, and leeks, which should almost be ready for harvesting.

Once you’ve harvested all you can from your vegetable beds, mulch the soil to benefit its texture and structure over the colder months, so your plants will be stronger the following season.

It’s a good idea to sow some winter hardy green manures, such as Field Clover, Hungarian Rye Grass, and Winter Tares. They can be incredibly beneficial to cover bare soil and smother weeds, and their roots prevent soil erosion, return valuable nutrients to the soil and improve soil structure.

Now’s the time to plant your winter containers to add some colour to your garden during the colder months. Evergreen shrubs, Hellebores and Skimmias, Cyclamen, and winter flowering Violas make great displays, lasting until early spring.

And finally, as the leaves start to fall and blanket your garden with autumn’s famous yellow and orange hues, make sure to rake in those gorgeous leaves to make homemade leaf mould - an excellent soil improver.