Into Autumn...

• Keep late flowering annuals and perennials flowering until the first frosts by regular deadheading

• Take cuttings of most half-hardy or tender perennials such as fuchsias, salvias and pelargoniums, as well as semi-ripe cuttings of woody shrubs such as rosemary and lavender

• As early flowering annuals begin to fade, choose a warm, dry day to collect seed and store in paper envelopes or pouches made from folded kitchen paper

• Fill in any gaps in the garden with spring bedding such as pansies, forget-me-nots and bellis

• Spring-flowering bulbs can also be planted from now until the end of November

• In the vegetable garden, continue to pick beans, peas, tomatoes, courgettes, and cucumbers to continue your supply

• Sow spinach, winter lettuce, kale, and some oriental vegetables, either direct in the vegetable garden or under cover for planting out next month

• Winter onions, garlic (hardneck), and spring cabbage can be planted now, but not in the same location as the previous crop - ideally, rotate vegetable beds on a three- or four-year cycle: Onions and Roots > Potatoes > Brassicas > Legumes

• Annual herbs can also be sown now then brought inside to provide a supply in early winter

• Remove the growing top of tomato plants to encourage the ripening of existing trusses and remove lower leaves to allow in more light

• Onion sets of varieties suitable for over-wintering, hardneck garlic, and spring cabbage can be planted out now

• The fruited canes of Summer-fruiting raspberries should be cut out now.  These raspberries will bear fruit next year on the new, green stems that have grown this summer, so don’t remove these!  Autumn-fruiting raspberries fruit on the new season’s growth and should not be cut down until late winter

• Many hardy annuals such as cornflower, Ammi, and sweet peas can also be sown now for an early display next summer, or perhaps sow a patch of wildflowers, but choose the right seed mix for your soil type and aspect (light, moisture, etc.)

• Early autumn is a beautiful time of the year were the low sun in the evenings cast a red, rosy glow over the garden, so make sure you take the time to enjoy your garden or nearby open spaces