Gardening in autumn
Autumn is a busy season for our gardens, whether you are giving your lawn some much-needed TLC after the long hot summer, planning next seasons vegetable beds or working out which spring bulbs to grow for bursts of colour next spring.
Read on for our top autumn gardening jobs to ensure your garden is in great shape for the season ahead.
Composting
Compost is a nutrient-rich matter packed full of goodness. From an environmental perspective, composting reduces the amount of food and plant waste sent to landfill.
Managing a compost heap is as easy as adding food and garden waste to a prepared container. Generally, most food and green waste is compostable, but there are a few items you should avoid adding, such as meat and dairy products, citrus or onions.
To find out how to get started and our top tips for running a successful compost heap, we have a complete guide here to help you get started.
Composting tips:
• Do not add meat & dairy products to a compost heap. Check out our guide to what you should and shouldn't add here.
• Turn your compost at least once a month (or more to speed the process up further). Turning is essential for aerating the heap in order to break down the organic matter. Alternatively, you can use a compost accelerator or a compost booster to speed up the process.
• Do not allow your compost site to sit in extreme temperatures or high moisture zones.
• Compost bins should never smell- if it does, it may be sign the contents have become stagnant.
Tree planting
Tree planting season falls between October and April when the soil is moist and the roots are dormant. It's possible to plant container-grown trees and shrubs all year round; they are easier to care for if planted in spring.
Tree planting tips:
• Avoid planting in waterlogged or frozen ground, and assess the proximity to your home so as not to cause any structural damage or block drains.
• Ensure your new tree has the appropriate protection. Tree guards protect the trunk from wildlife damage, while stakes and ties ensure your tree has support in high winds.
• Pruning is essential in encouraging fruits and shaping your tree's new growth.
• Make sure to water regularly instead of giving more water less often. Under-watering causes drought stress due to the lack of water in the roots during drier months.
Pruning and shaping
Pruning is an essential part of gardening; there are different ways you can prune. Hard pruning controls the overall size and shape of a plant, while lighter pruning helps to subtly take control while, still allowing the plant to act as naturally (or as wildly) as it wants.
More information on pruning and our top tips can be found here.
Top tips for pruning:
• Improve air circulation by thinning out congested stems in the centre of fruit bushes.
• Use the well-maintained tools for the job to avoid damage to stems from blunt equipment.
• Clean tools after pruning to remove sap and keep well oiled to ensure the most precise cut each time.
Maintenance and tidying
Raking, weeding and clearing up the garden after summer is an integral step in ensuring an abundant garden in the following spring. Keep on top of raking leaves as they fall on the lawn, place them in bags with a few air holes to make leaf mulch for future use. Alternatively, some leaves (always check for disease!) can be shredded and added to your compost heap.
Once your lawn is free from leaves and debris, apply an autumn fertiliser and possibly; a moss killer to ensure adequate access to nutrients throughout the colder months. Applying a lawn fertiliser now will yield a lush lawn in future.
Take a look at your beds, borders and areas that did well in the summer and how you’d like to plan for next year.
Top tips for a tidy garden:
• Aeration ensures the longevity of your lawn by providing access to water and nutrients within the soil to strengthen the root system. The upside of aeration also means the grass will have a better chance of surviving the excess rain of winter, which leads to water-logging.
• Now is the perfect time to clean and tidy the shed and inspect your gardening tools to ensure they are in good condition.
