AtHomeWithSarahBeenyAutumn2016 - 258

DIG OUT WEEDS NOW SO THEY CAN'T FLOURISH A utumn is the beginning of the end of the growing season, which makes it the perfect time to start putting your garden to bed, as the days are getting cooler with noticeably less daylight. If you have a fruit or vegetable patch, you'll be busy harvesting. You should also plant spring-flowering bulbs for next year - make the most of whatever warmth the year has left. As autumn opens, though, it should still be relatively mild, so this is a good time to prepare your garden for the colder weather to come. The first thing you need to do is clear up. Remove all the dead leaves that are lurking in corners (these are ideal for composting, by the way) and do the ground work that will ensure your plants are going to be happy whatever the conditions. Weeding is an important job at this time. Weed and clean your paths, patio and the like, spraying them with an organic weedkiller that will sort out the bad bits without harming the environment. Doing this now will save a lot of time in the spring. YOUR GREENHOUSE Another task that will pay dividends later is to lay down mulch or wood chippings between plants and shrubs. This not only protects the soil but helps retain the nutrients that help keep the soil fertile. There are already fewer hours in the day, so light is at a premium. To make the most of it, ensure you remove any greenhouse shading. While we're on the greenhouse, this is also a good time to make any 258 | OCTOBER 2016 repairs, not only to the glass but also any gutters, which can be neglected. You would do well to clean out and disinfect the inside of the structure, too, as months of grime can build up. If your lawn looks tired - and most do after the summer - autumn's a great time to give it a boost. Not only can you rake it and sort out any moss issues, but aerate the soil by making holes with the prongs of a garden fork across the whole area, once every 10cm or so. After that's done, feed the lawn to prepare it for the cold winter months. Autumn is also the ideal time to lay new turf, should you need to, provided the soil is not too wet. YOUR PLANTS WEED OUT PROBLEMS Beware of using liquid weedkiller at the edge of a path that runs alongside a lawn - it can spill over and kill the grass. Before the first frosts threaten, make sure you bring any tender plants safely under cover to give them a fighting chance of surviving until spring. Clean the soil from them and store them in trays of dry compost or sand, with just the top of the crown visible. Keep the trays in a frost-free place and replant them when warmer weather finally arrives. Plant or move evergreens and conifers while the soil is still warm. Now's also the time to plant spring bedding plants - such as wallflowers and polyanthus - and spring bulbs. As autumn turns into winter, we enter a very frustrating time for gardeners. The soil is usually either too wet or frozen to do what you want to do. However, that doesn't mean you can just hibernate! There's plenty still to be done. One essential job ideal for winter is sorting out your shed. From the BOOTS ARE MADE FOR CLEANING - AND SO ARE YOUR TOOLS IT'S BETTER TO USE AN ORGANIC WEEDKILLER AROUND PATH EDGES

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