Autumn is definitely upon us now and as the ground starts to look more colourful with an array of fallen leaves, pinecones and acorns decorate your path and pumpkins make their annual appearance, your garden still needs some attention. Here’s a few ways to prepare your garden the upcoming months.
1. Wrap Up
Humans are not the only ones that like an extra layer in the colder months and some trees and plants such as cucumbers and tree ferns need to be protected from the harsher elements like frost, wind and hail. This can be done with plant fleece and is best done before the first frost; it also encourages the growth of plants.
2. Weeding
Before the temperature drops too much and to avoid a mass of work in spring, it is important to do some de-weeding now. Many weeds germinate over the colder months so if you make an effort to tackle any visible weeds now and distribute weed killer, the less you will have to deal with in the spring.
3. Bring in your plants
Plants such as geraniums will not fare well if hit by frost so it is best remove these from their flowerbeds and replant them in plant pots to sit inside where it is warmer. Make sure they still have access to light and water. Our previous blog post explains the act of Plant Lifting and how it can benefit your garden in the winter months. Read it here
4. Greenhouse
With shorter days equating to less sunlight over the coming months, ensure your greenhouse window panelling is clean. Overgrowth should be pruned so your plants get as much light as possible.
5. Vegetable planting
If you are still keen to have something budding in your garden even over the winter months then vegetables are the way to go. Onions are good to grown now, garlic is an easy crop and this is an ideal time of year to plant broad beans.
6. Leaf mould
Make the most of those colourful leaves that have already fallen from the trees by making a great compost to use as mulch. To do this, fill some bin liners with fallen leaves by raking them up just make sure that you leave some holes in the base of the bag to allow air to get to the leaves so they don’t go soggy. Once full, tie the bin liner up and sprinkle some water over it to get the leaves damp. They can then be left in a shaded area for a year or two depending whether you want to use them as mulch or compost.
7. Mulch
Make use of all that compost and mulch you have collected over the past year by distributing it over autumn. Mulching your flowerbeds gives them extra nutrients for the winter months and combining it with compost ensures that your beds have enough to soak up all the extra moisture that they receive in the colder months and also protects them from rodents.
If you need any help or advice with preparing your garden for the colder months, tweet us on @gardenforce1 or contact us on 07963 782 219 or 01709 801075 (evening number) or visit our Contact Us page where you can send us your enquiries. We can also provide a quote if you would like us to prepare your garden for winter.
Cerebral