Autumn gardening jobs to take care of before winter

Autumn is one of the best times of the year to clean up the garden and prepare it for the cooler months ahead. The weather is still fine enough to get into the garden and complete any unfinished jobs as well as clear up any mess. 

Take care of these autumn gardening jobs before the weather gets too cold to spend much time in the garden.

Prepare your lawn

The first thing to do when preparing your lawn for the year ahead is to ensure any weeds you sprayed in summer are dying. Next, aerate your lawn with a fork or pronged garden apparatus before spreading lime over it. This provides much-needed sweetness to the soil especially after years of feeding it. Lawn care is a lot easier in winter as you don’t have to continually mow, but take care of these simple jobs to ensure the lawn maintains its freshness even when things start to get chilly. 

Trim hedges

Trimming your hedges before winter’s onset will help keep them firm and sturdy from the ground up. Most plants remain dormant throughout the winter months, so if you were to trim your hedges at this time of the year you can almost guarantee they will stay boxy and appealing even in winter.

You don’t need to prune old seed heads

Although you might want to prune summer herbs that have started to seed, it can be nice to leave them as they attract all kinds of lovely birds that feast on the seeds. If you are like us and see the garden as a home sanctuary for all kinds of wildlife, this is a great way to attract all kinds of flighty friends. 

Use cuttings for new plants

Propagating new plants from old cuttings is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to create new growth. Take 10cm cuttings from pre-existing plants, remove the lower leaves, dip in hormone powder and place in high-quality potting mix. Finally, keep them protected from the elements throughout the early growth and you could realise all kinds of exciting new growth throughout the year. 

Harvest summer crops, plants autumn veggies

Don’t let those last summer goodies go to waste! Harvest these crops and get planting for the abundance of autumn and winter veggies you can enjoy at home. Think delicious, nutrient-rich soups to cosy up with this winter – yum.