Ripe for the picking
Time to pick persimmons. Non-astringent varieties stay firm when ripe and can be eaten straight off the tree. Acidic varieties ripen off the tree. Put them in a bag with a ripe banana until they are soft.
Protect your compost
Flip your compost heap with a
fork and then cover with a plastic tarpaulin, old carpet or a sheet of corrugated iron for insulation and protection from heavy rain.
Give trees a trim
Get out your loppers and secateurs and deal to flowering cherries, crab apples and the like. Trim off too-small limbs growing from the trunks and trim the branch structure into an attractive shape.
Find ferns a new home
If you have ferns that look miserable, now's the time to move them to damp, shady new homes.
