Table of Contents
Pond life
Pond pumps need to be removed from your pond, drained and stored for winter. Fish can be deprived of oxygen if pond surfaces freeze over later in the year, so float a ball on the surface now, to keep water moving.
Turn to ash
If you have a bonfire to get rid of all of your accumulated allotment prunings and debris, make use of the potash-rich ash. Any ash that is pure wood – no coal or smokeless fuel – is useful on the plot. When it is cool, scatter it around the roots of fruit trees and bushes for great flowering and fruiting next year.
Feed the birds
Buy birdfeeders and bird baths if you are not already fully equipped for your garden birds’ winter needs. It is also time to hang fat balls, as birds need more energy to get them through cold nights.
Acid test
Pine needles and conifer hedge trimmings take much longer to break down than other leaves, and it’s not a bad idea to make them a separate bin, so that you don’t get spiked when reaching into your compost’s depths. After two or three years they will break down to an acidic leaf mould perfect for use around ericaceous plants such as blueberries, azaleas and rhododendrons.
Need to weed
Once growth in borders has started to die back, go through and root out all of those weeds that escaped your notice during lusher times. This is a good moment to add a layer of mulch, to seal in warmth and to keep your border weed-free.
Sprinkle lime
An application of lime can help unlock nutrients in your vegetable plot soil. Sprinkle it over bare ground now: this way it will have an effect on new growth in spring, but you won’t risk damaging young growth.
Trim for fruit
Prune blackcurrants. They fruit best on younger wood, so take out about a third of the oldest wood, down to the base. Order bare-root bushes for later in autumn. ‘Big Ben’ has large, sweet berries.
Ease the disease
Wherever your plants have struggled with spots and diseases this summer, take care to gather up and dispose of the leaves as they fall. Many problems can overwinter in fallen leaves and leap back up in spring.
Use the fork
These months can reveal hidden problems in your lawn, as rain gathers and pools in compacted places. You can go over such spots with a garden fork, pushing it into the ground to make holes, and then brushing in sharp sand.
Tighten ties
Check tree stakes and ties. They need to be sturdy and tight, or storms will toss young trees around and it will rub and hit against the stake. Even if you think a tree may be ready to do without its stake this is not the time to remove it: wait till spring.
Allotment action
If you have new areas of an allotment to clear, this is a good time to start a “no-dig” bed. Cover the entire area in a good layer of sturdy cardboard and then pile on a thick layer of well-rotted horse manure or compost. By spring it will be ready to plant into.
Guard bananas
Hardy banana Musa basjoo may fail to live up to its name. If you live in a cold area or if yours is young, you will need to protect it with fleece or straw.
Store gladioli
In cooler areas, lift your gladioli corms now that the foliage has turned brown. Break off the foliage and store in a cool and frost-free spot. In warmer areas you can get away with just covering them with a thick mulch.
Cross the pond
Ponds choked with growth and weed can be cleared out now: don’t leave it until spring when pond-dwellers are breeding. Leave anything you remove on to the side of the pond for several days to allow accidental evictees to scramble back in.
Sprout support
Brussels sprouts are tall and top heavy and can be rocked about by the wind. Give them a little support: those suffering from wind rock are more likely to produce soft, blown sprouts. Push a hefty piece of wood such as a piece of hazel into the ground next to each plant and lash them firmly on.
Dry begonias
After their foliage has been blackened by the first frosts, lift and dry out your begonia tubers. After a week or so, brush off the dried soil and then store the tubers in something insulating, such as sawdust or dry sand, in a cool but frost-free spot.
Mark locations
This may be the last chance to mark the locations of perennials as they die down, which is a good idea if you are planting bulbs or doing any moving at all over winter. Even an unlabelled length of bamboo will prevent you from slicing into your scabiosa during a fit of border renovating.
Go mowerless
Spend the autumn and winter planning your new mowerless life. The Scything Handbook by Ian Miller contains all of the information you need to buy, maintain and use a scythe for any grassy area, from a meadow to a lawn.
Compost mix
Everything that grows in the garden can be composted, but if you are cutting back walnut, eucalyptus, laurel and juniper be aware that they are toxic to other plants and so you may be better to leave them out of the general mix.
