In these exceptional times, keep safe and keep gardening

• Start to prepare the garden for the arrival of the first frosts

• Lift any tender outdoor plants and bring into the greenhouse, sheltered frost-free area, or indoors

• Harvest pumpkins and squash, try to bake in some sunshine to harden, then store in a cool room

• Tuberous plants such as Dahlias and Begonias should have their foliage cut down after it's been blackened by the first frosts. Then carefully lift the tubers and store in dry sand or compost in a frost-free place

• Alternatively, Dahlias and Begonias and many borderline-hardy plants such as Pelargoniums and Fuchsias can be overwintered by applying a thick layer of mulch.

• Finish moving or dividing summer-flowering hardy perennials now while the soil is still warm - excess plants can be donated to the virtual plant stall for other members to buy

• Repair and reseed any patches of lawn. Sow seed onto lightly forked soil and then rake in or cover with a thin layer of compost. Alternatively, pre-germinate seed in a bucket of damp compost in a cool room (15°C/60°F) for three or four days before sowing

• Early October is about the last time you can apply nematodes for biological control of Vine Weevil as this treatment needs soil temperatures to be consistently above 5°C

• Apply grease bands to apple, plum, pear and cherry trees to trap winter moths that climb the trunks in November, and whose caterpillars eat spring buds and flowers

• Clean out the greenhouse and remove any leaves and fallen tomatoes that may harbour pests and encourage moulds

• Continue to clear the top stems of perennials where appropriate. This is then the perfect opportunity to plant some spring-flowering bulbs

• Finally, with all the wonderful late flowing plants such as Dahlias, Anemone, Asters, Kniphofia, and Hylotelephium (Sedums), the plentiful berries on Pyracantha and holly, and the colour change of the leaves this year, remember to stop all the clearing up for a few minutes, and just enjoy your garden and the trees around you