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Six easy gardening jobs to do this weekend in time for autumn

how to prepare garden for autumn what to do weekend easy gardening jobs - GAP Photos
how to prepare garden for autumn what to do weekend easy gardening jobs - GAP Photos

Summer storms can bring flashes of torrential rain – in extreme contrast to the recent mini heatwave. Periods of hot, settled, dry weather demand extra care for our greenhouses, pots and ponds – so continue to be water wise and keep plants and wildlife flourishing.

Summer is a time of plenty, but now is the time to prepare for the autumn months to come.

How to prepare your garden for autmn

De-leafing

Like many prolifically fruiting plants, tomatoes need to be continuously picked to make sure that they keep producing for weeks to come. While you are picking tomatoes, you can also help the remaining ones to ripen quickly by increasing the light and air flow around the ripening trusses.

I do this by removing older leaves from around the base of the plant – they look unattractive and become less functional as the majority of the “action” is focussed in the top half of the vine.

Onion harvest

Onions (both red and white) can be dried in boxes, but they also look beautiful strung up in bunches to dry - Getty Images
Onions (both red and white) can be dried in boxes, but they also look beautiful strung up in bunches to dry - Getty Images

Whether you have grown onions from seed or sets, you will start to notice that their foliage is turning a straw colour at this time of year.

Now is the time to lift and dry onions in a warm, bright space such as a greenhouse for a week or two. By removing the excess moisture, they’ll store for much longer.

If you fancy a challenge (and a giggle), try stringing them together for easier storage, which, if done correctly, can look beautiful when you hang them up. Toby Buckland demonstrates how to do this in a Gardeners’ World clip.

Pond top-up

I don’t know about you, but I spend most of my summer praying for rain in blisteringly hot spells and then moaning relentlessly after a day or two of wet weather, frustrated that I can’t crack on with jobs in the garden.

During fiercely warm days, keep an eye on ponds. Evaporation causes water levels to drop and reduces oxygen levels, which can be harmful to fish.

Top up your pond, ideally with rain water or, if using tap water, little and often to avoid excess chlorine. As more animals use the pond during warm weather, install a few wildlife ramps to give them a helping hand if they fall in.

Late colour

Autumn flourish: Nerine bowdenii provided dazzling colour and is often overlooked - GAP Photos / Fiona Rice
Autumn flourish: Nerine bowdenii provided dazzling colour and is often overlooked - GAP Photos / Fiona Rice

We gardeners invest tremendous focus on spring-flowering bulbs and scramble to buy tulips, daffodils and crocus for early colour.

By comparison, flamboyant summer and autumn bulbs are overlooked. Amaryllis belladonna, Nerine bowdenii and Sternbergia lutea can be planted now and will provide dazzling colour from September through to November; most require a sunny, free-draining spot.

For something a bit different, try Amarine ‘Anastasia’, left, a cross between an amaryllis and nerine.

Two projects to plan

Perfect pelargoniums

Pelargonium 'Attar of Roses' AGM has a wonderful fragrance and is easy to grow - GAP Photos / Chris Burrows
Pelargonium 'Attar of Roses' AGM has a wonderful fragrance and is easy to grow - GAP Photos / Chris Burrows

Few plants are as easy to grow as pelargoniums. With so many to choose from, take your pick in terms of colour, scented foliage and habit. I grow a wide range in pots as I find they perform better than those grown in the soil; they respond well to regular deadheading and a weekly dose of tomato feed. Late summer is a perfect time to take cuttings.

Remove a non-flowering shoot, about 10cm in length. Fill a pot with a 50:50 mixture of peat-free compost and perlite or grit. Trim your cutting below a leaf joint at the base, dib a hole in the compost with a pencil at the edge of the pot and insert your cutting two thirds of the way in.

You can fit four or five cuttings in a small pot. Give the compost a good soak to settle any air gaps around the stems. Place the pot on a light windowsill but avoid scorching heat and direct sun.

Refresh strawberries

Strawberry plants should be replaced after three to four years to keep them growing and fruiting prolifically. Replace the original plants either by rooting some runners or buying fresh stock online or from a garden centre.

Ideally, replant your strawberry patch in a new spot enriched with well-rotted compost or manure. If you don’t have homemade compost, buy bagged soil enricher from a local DIY store or garden centre. Strawberry varieties ‘Symphony’ or ‘Cambridge Favourite’ are ideal for reliable heavy cropping.

Tom Brown is head gardener at West Dean Gardens, West Sussex