Digging your autumn garden

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Autumn is a fantastic time to put some care and attention into your garden. It is the time to clean up beds, manage soils, prepare sod, and minimise problems in the new growing season. Follow a few autumn garden tips for a worry-free winter and more free time in spring.

Pruning

Remove any dead, diseased, or broken branches on woody shrubs or trees. This will help reinvigorate them for the following year and keep their size under control.

Seal the cuts with pruning sealant. This forms a barrier to help prevent diseases entering the fresh cuts, and encourages callusing to form.

You don’t need to prune everything in your garden. Leaving plants with seeds and berries can add interest and colour, as well as providing food for birds and insects.

Discard or burn any diseased wood or foliage. Don’t put them in the compost bin as they could transfer their infection to other plants.

Yearly pruning should include Roses, Hydrangeas, and Fruit Trees.

Mulching

Add 5–8cm of mulch to your garden beds. Take care not to pile the mulch against the base of the plant.

Mulch helps maintain soil moisture and keep its temperature higher. A layer of mulch will also protect any delicate perennials or bulbs in the soil, and protect roots over winter.

Spraying

Use a lime sulphur spray on fruit or deciduous trees. This encourages defoliation, will protect the stems from scale, and kill any moss and lichen. Once the moss or lichen has died clean it off with a wire brush.

Keep the garden free from pest and disease with a combination spray of fungicide, pesticide, and spraying oil.

A copper-based spray is a good general clean up spray. It will also encourage defoliation of deciduous trees and shrubs.

Ask in-store for any specific advice on the different kind of sprays available, or any alternative options for dealing with pests and disease.

Lawn

Autumn is an ideal time to sow a new lawn – See our guide: How to care for and maintain lawns.

Aerate the lawn by spiking it with a garden fork; this also helps to encourage draining.

Give your lawn a final mow around the beginning of May. Don’t cut the grass any shorter than 5cm as longer grass can make better use of less sunlight over autumn and winter. A longer lawn also helps resist weeds and moss.

Use a hose-on weed and feed spray to clean up broadleafed weeds.

Autumn is a great time to fertilise because it protects your lawn through the winter months, and ensures it stays healthy and green throughout the year. You should aim to fertilise twice a year for the best results.

Look out for dead patches on your lawn. This could mean that lawn grubs are eating the grass roots. Porina caterpillars could be another problem. They emerge from their holes at night and eat the grass leaves. Soil insect killer granules will control both these pests.

Composting and leaf collection

Leaves left lying on the lawn will deprive it of light and encourage the formation of dry, brown patches, and the growth of moss.

Start making a compost pile with fallen leaves. Over time you will create a rich compost called leaf mould which is a great source of nutrients, and a natural fertilister for the garden.

Flower garden

Remove any summer bedding plants, including as much of the root system as you can, and put them onto your compost pile.

Clean up after any summer perennials that have died back. Mark any that go dormant over winter, so you can remember their location come spring.

You could also divide them up. Use a spade to divide the plant into smaller clumps, lift them, and plant them elsewhere. It may seem harsh but it will help them come back healthier next season. Plant the freshly divided clumps in different beds or share them with friends.

Now is the perfect time to plant Spring Bulbs.

Weeding

Removing weeds now will prevent them from going to seed and coming back stronger in spring.

Vegetable garden

Remove any edibles that have gone to seed, any that are showing signs of disease, or any that have died. Make sure you get rid of all their roots.

Make a note of where you had tomatoes and potatoes planted so you can rotate planting locations next season.

Either replant for winter or sow common “green crops” such as lupin and mustard directly; once grown dig them back into the soil and leave them to break down for 6-8 weeks before planting. This puts nitrogen back into the ground ready for your spring planting, and also keeps the weeds away.

Tool Care

Before winter is a good time to clean up your garden tools, because you’ll be using them less. Looking after them will make them last longer and they’ll be easier to use.

Sharpen your spades and any cutting tools with a flat file.

Sharpening them at the same angle as the blade. File out any cuts or notches on the blades.

Use WD40, machine oil, or grease to wipe down or spray all joints and blades. This seals them during the winter and helps protect against rust. Make sure you refer to the manual for each tool to check which parts need oiling. — Courtesy of Mitre10