Autumn gardening tips What should you be doing in the garden now?

1. Get planting: Cooler nights and warm days mean the soil has enough moisture and warmth to do planting and transplanting.

Plant seedlings of cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, beetroot, winter lettuce, parsley, chives, rosemary and more in your edible garden. If you don’t intend using your vegetable patch, sow some blue lupin or mustard seed. They are great to improve the soil structure and naturally add nutrients to the soil. Autumn is also a good time to plant fruit trees. With good draining and full sun, they will thrive in no time.

2. Pamper your lawn: You’ve taken good care of your lawn with regular mowing over summer. Autumn is the time to give it a good rake and aerate it by sticking a fork at regular intervals. This reduces compaction and removes any worm casts. Fertilise your lawn so it can soak in the nutrients needed to survive the cold season.

3. Protect your most tender plants and trees: As autumn progresses, wrap tender plants and young trees with fleece. It is better to do that before winter. Smaller plants can be moved into a greenhouse, which itself should be cleaned to maximise the light coming into it. Late autumn is also a good time to add mulch around tree roots to protect them from winter frost.

4. Hedge trimming: Autumn is a good time for hedge trimming to prevent them from decaying. Remember to cut back only as much as is sufficient. Trimming it too far back can leave holes in the hedge and leave it looking bare for the whole winter season as growth in the colder months is minimal.

We recommend you call in an expert for hedge trimming to maintain the street appeal of your home. Connect with our experienced team of arborists and book hedge trimming services today to help you get ready for winter.

5. Do a tidy up: Have you been planting up a storm in the kitchen garden and now find no value for it? Autumn is the time to remove spent vegetable plants, and clean up the debris and weeds. Collect the autumn leaves and trim the edges of your lawn and garden beds. Leaves left on the ground can become damp and smother the grass or plants they fall on, damaging them.

6. Prune trees: There are many reasons why you should prune your trees. It helps improve the health and appearance of your trees and removes dead or dying branches. It can even promote crop growth in fruit trees. Tree pruning requires specialist equipment, especially for tall trees. Contact our team of qualified arborists, as they are trained and equipped to carry out the task safely.

7. Make compost: It is a natural fertiliser and great for your garden, trees and plants. It is also a lot more cost effective to make your own compost than buy. Besides, composting is a great way to put the falling autumn leaves and plants you tidy up to good use.

With summer coming towards an end, early autumn is also a good time to store away your outdoor furniture and clean your gardening tools. When winter comes, gardeners can enjoy a relaxing break from gardening. But watch out: It won’t be long before it’s time to get started again.