Outdoors In Autumn

Here are a few jobs to get on with this month…

• It might be time to bring in some tender plants as recently we have experienced some frosty yet bright mornings.
• Any outdoor tomatoes that have failed to ripen can be put in a dark place with a ripe apple or red tomato to speed up ripening.
• Expect to finish your regular mowing of lawns towards the end of October. Raise height of cutting for the last 2 cuts.
• Now is a great time to dig over borders and vegetable plots, the cold weather approaching may help to improve the soil structure by breaking down large clumps into crumbly particles.
• Plant up pots now for colour in winter and early spring – daffodils and crocus are some of our favourites.
• Sow winter salads, these can be grown in a green house or, if protected, outdoors.
• Ensure you clear dead leaves and spent plants from borders to help prevent pests and diseases from over wintering.
• If you are thinking about planting hedging and deciduous trees now is the time to invest in bare root which also works out cheaper to buy especially if you need larger quantities.
• Check tree ties and stakes before winter gales cause damage.