10 Gardening Jobs for the Autumn
As the nights draw in, there’s plenty to do in the garden ahead of the colder months. To prevent any casualties, here’s our list of simple, but effective, gardening jobs for the season ahead.
Now all you need to do is schedule them around those inevitable rainy afternoons!
1. Clear Those Leaves
As the leaves begin to fall, make sure you clear your lawn regularly before the really cold weather sets in. Removing fallen foliage will keep your lawn looking tidy and, more importantly, allow air, water and light to reach the grass. A thick layer of leaves can prevent essential air, water and nutrients from reaching the lawn’s root system.
Rather than throwing your leaves away, set them aside for composting. Composted leaves have a relatively low nutrient value, but they make an excellent mulch and soil conditioner, helping to improve the structure and moisture retention of your soil over time.
Garden Centre tip: Pop into the Garden Centre for everything you need to make clearing leaves easier, including Grabbers, pop-up bags, garden tidy sheets, brooms and Wilkinson Sword leaf rakes.
2. Tidy Hedges and Prune Fruit Trees
Autumn is a great time to give your hedges a tidy-up, helping to keep them neat and easier to maintain through the winter months. However, when it comes to fruit trees, it’s important to prune at the right time.
Apples and pears are generally pruned while dormant, unless they are trained forms such as fans or espaliers, which are usually pruned in mid-summer. Prunus fruiting trees, including cherries, gages and nectarines, should not be pruned after summer, as pruning at the wrong time can increase the risk of disease.
Garden Centre tip: You’ll find a great selection of Kent & Stowe secateurs, loppers and pruning saws in our Garden Tools section to help you tackle those autumn pruning jobs.
3. Create Habitats For Wildlife
As you tidy your garden for winter, remember that a little bit of untidiness can be hugely beneficial for wildlife. Creating small piles of leaves, debris and twigs around the garden can provide valuable shelter for insects, birds and small animals. A simple pile of twigs and leaves can even provide a cosy spot for hedgehogs to hunker down during the colder months.
You can also leave some perennial seed heads standing rather than deadheading them. Plants such as echinacea, echinops and rudbeckia provide a natural source of seeds for birds throughout autumn and winter, as well as adding interest to your garden.
Bird care products are another great way to encourage wildlife into your garden. From premium bird food to carefully crafted feeders and accessories, we stock a wide range of options from Tom Chambers.
4. Give Your Herbs an Autumn Tidy
Cutting back many herbs in early autumn can encourage a fresh flush of growth and prevent the plant from putting too much energy into flowering and seed production. This can also help maintain the best possible flavour from your herbs.
If you have herbs growing in small pots, consider bringing them into a greenhouse or indoors. This can help protect them from colder weather and means you can continue enjoying fresh herbs well into winter.
5. Mulch, Mulch, Mulch!
Autumn is the perfect time for mulching, while the soil still holds some warmth and there is plenty of moisture to trap beneath a protective layer. Mulching helps retain moisture, suppress weed growth and support healthy soil.
You can use materials such as wood chips, grass cuttings and fallen leaves. As these organic materials break down, they add valuable organic matter to the soil. Apply a suitable layer around trees, shrubs and herbaceous perennials, taking care not to pile mulch directly against plant stems or crowns, as this can encourage rot and other problems.
Autumn is also a great time to think about water harvesting. Installing a water butt allows you to collect rainwater from your roof and sheds, providing a free and sustainable source of water for your garden. With wetter weather on the way, it’s the ideal time to start collecting rainwater ready for use during drier periods next year.
Garden Centre tip: Pop down to our Compost Barn, where you’ll find a selection of mulches and bark dressings. We also have water butts and water-harvesting solutions available to help you make the most of autumn rainfall.
6. Fill In The Gaps
If you have gaps in your garden borders, there’s still time to fill them with late-flowering plants. Autumn favourites such as Echinacea and Japanese Anemone can provide a welcome pop of colour and help keep your garden looking vibrant as the seasons change.
It’s also worth looking ahead to spring. Autumn is the ideal time to plant spring-flowering bulbs, so consider adding crocuses, daffodils, tulips and other favourites to your borders and containers now for a colourful display next year.
7. Sort Out The Pond
If you’re lucky enough to have a pond, autumn is the perfect time to remove fallen leaves and cut back surrounding plants. Keeping excess leaves and plant material out of the water can help prevent the pond from becoming overloaded with organic matter as it breaks down.
When cutting back pond plants, leave the cuttings on the edge of the pond for a little while. This gives any insects and other pond wildlife hiding in the material a chance to make their way back into the pond.
As winter approaches, consider adding a polystyrene float or ball to your pond. If the surface freezes, this can help ensure that a small area remains open, allowing gases to escape and helping to maintain a healthier environment for pond life.
8. Clean Your Pots
The start of a new season is a great time to give your plant pots a thorough clean. Dirty pots can harbour pests, bacteria and fungal spores, which could cause problems for plants when they are reused.
Remove any old compost and debris before scrubbing pots thoroughly with a stiff brush. For plastic pots, use a suitable disinfectant solution, following the product’s instructions carefully. Rinse thoroughly and allow the pots to dry completely before storing or reusing them.
Giving your pots a good clean now will help you start the next growing season with a fresh, healthy set of containers.
9. Tidy The Greenhouse
If you have a greenhouse, autumn is an ideal time to give it a good clear-out before winter. Empty unused pots, remove old compost and clear away spent plants. This helps reduce the places where unwanted pests and diseases can overwinter.
It’s also worth giving the greenhouse glass a thorough wash using a very dilute washing-up liquid solution. You’ll be amazed at the difference clean glass can make to the amount of light entering your greenhouse – particularly important if you’re using it to protect tender plants over winter.
Garden Centre tip: Brooms, dustpan and brush sets and plastic waterproof trugs are ideal for helping with those greenhouse clearing and cleaning jobs.
10. Plant Your Spring Bulbs
Autumn is the perfect time to plant spring-flowering bulbs, giving them plenty of time to establish before the coldest weather arrives. Crocuses, tulips and daffodils are just some of the bulbs that can provide a welcome splash of colour when spring arrives.
There’s also a whole host of plants that flourish during winter, so consider incorporating some winter-interest plants into your planting plans to keep your garden looking attractive throughout the colder months.
Garden Centre tip: Taylors Bulbs are available now at the Garden Centre, with the range being added to as we move further into autumn. You’ll also find everything you need for planting, including spades, trowels and bulb planters.
Explore our Garden Centre
With over 40 years’ experience of growing and selling plants, a visit to Priory Farm Garden Centre is the perfect choice for any gardener.