Essential Gardening Jobs for Late Autumn

As the days shorten and temperatures drop, autumn brings a new set of gardening tasks to prepare your outdoor spaces for the winter months. From pruning and planting ornamentals to protecting lawns and vegetables from the elements, there's plenty to keep gardeners busy. It's also a good time to care for fruit trees, clean up paths and water butts, and tend to houseplants that are entering their rest period. Whether you're maintaining your garden's structure, harvesting seasonal crops, or getting ready for spring, a bit of attention now will help ensure your garden stays healthy through the colder months.

Ornamentals (outdoors)

• Tall roses, Lavatera and Buddleja can be cut to half their height to reduce the chance of wind rock loosening the roots.
• Plant out spring bedding.
• Continue to inspect ties and supports for trees and climbing plants, especially after windy weather.
• Remove the oldest leaves of Helleborus niger and H. orientalis to make the flowers more visible and reduce the transfer of hellebore leaf blight.
• Dahlias that have had their top growth frosted can be lifted and placed in boxes in layers of straw or newspaper. Store in a cool, frost-free place, but check for signs of rotting on a monthly basis.

Lawns and meadows

• Continue to remove leaves from lawns and compost them as they make excellent mulch.
• Brush over the lawn to remove any toadstools or mushrooms as they emerge, and any worm casts as they appear.
• In mild weather, continue to mow the lawn, if required, at a slightly raised cutting height. Follow up with a second moss treatment on the lawn where needed.

Vegetables

• Use protective bird netting over leafy plants to prevent birds (especially pigeons) attacking the plants.
• Inspect stored root vegetables regularly and remove any showing signs of rotting or damage.
• Harvest Brussels sprouts, leeks, winter cabbage and autumn cauliflower. Parsnips have a better flavour if harvested after a frost or cold period.
• Do as much digging as possible to have the ground worked before frosts or excessive rain.
• If you are using a no-dig system, cover the area with a 10-15cm layer of organic mulch when the crop is cleared.
• Bend the outer leaves over the developing heads of cauliflowers to protect them from rain and frost damage.

Fruit

• Apply grease band barriers around tree trunks to help combat female winter moths overwintering in the trees.
• Check stored fruits and remove any showing signs of rotting or damage.
• Established blackcurrant bushes can be pruned after leaf fall, to remove one-third of the plant’s growth (usually the oldest, darkest stems).
• Take hardwood cuttings of soft fruits, using the current season’s growth. Take blackcurrant cuttings at 20-25cm long.
• Gooseberry and redcurrant cuttings should be 45cm long. And should have the dormant buds removed from the lower two-thirds of the cutting to provide a clear stem or “leg” that will reduce sucker formation.
• Many top and soft fruits can be planted now (not strawberries). Prepare the ground well, as these are all long-term plantings. Stake the plants, if necessary, and always be sure to plant very firmly. Check the firmness after each frost, as the plants may lift due to soil movement.
• Consider root-pruning vigorous or unproductive top fruit now by making a trench one spade’s width around the tree about 1m-1.2m away from the trunk and severing any roots uncovered in the trench. For larger trees or those in exposed positions prune one half of the root system and the other half the following year. For trees growing against a wall or fence, root-prune in a large semi-circle.

Glasshouse (including conservatories and polythene structures)

• Ventilate for a short period on calm, warm days.
• Inspect plants regularly for signs of fungal rots and remove any affected plant parts.
• Check heaters to maintain a temperature of 7-10C in conservatories and provide frost protection in greenhouses.
• Cold frames can be covered with protective fleece on colder nights.

Ornamentals (indoors)

• Cacti, succulents and Clivia plants go through a rest period now, so keep the compost barely moist and do not feed until spring.
• Plants that are flowering or about to flower need regular watering and feeding. Once they finish flowering, give them a rest period by reducing the watering and stopping feeding.

Propagation

• Continue taking hardwood cuttings or ornamentals such as Forsythia, Ribes, Cornus, roses and Salix.

Maintenance

• Empty and clean out water butts (placing a Fresha Tank disk into the butt will help to keep the water clear next year).
• Treat paths, patios and decks to prevent a build up of algae and moss to reduce the chance of slipping.