Late Summer Garden Tips

Harvest and Storage:
Potatoes: dig em out and store somewhere dry and dark to prevent them turning green. Do this before the frosts arrive.
Apples and Pears: store them in a dark, cool and dry room. Onions can be stored in a lighter room but also needs to be cool and dry.
Raspberries: keep picking autumn raspberries and eat them fresh. They can also be frozen or made into Jam.
Pumpkins: The pumpkins should be now ready for harvesting, cut them off with leaving 20 cm of stem on the pumpkin and then place in a sunny spot indoors for a week or so. This allows the skin and stem to dry and toughen for winter storage
Tap the link below for extensive instructions all about the herbs.

Hedges and Bushes: now is the time to cut them back and keep them in fine shape. Try to keep the sides slightly sloping they look better and it also allows light and rain to reach the lower half better.

One step ahead. September to mid November is the best time of the year to plant or re position young trees, shrubs, roses and perennial plants. The Autumn rains will keep them well watered, and in the spring the newly moved plants will be already rooted and established for the coming year.

Design and introduce new flower beds and borders or makeover the existing ones that were forgotten about.

Finished Flowers. Don't rush to cut down finished flowers and seed heads. Finished flowers and seed heads may make the garden look untidy but they provide a wealth of food and life saving hiding places for insects and spiders. Leave them for some weeks and cut them back in November.

Prune the roses (climbers & ramblers only), other types of roses including shrub roses, bush roses and ground cover roses should be pruned in spring. Once pruning has been completed mulch the plants generously applying a thick layer of well-rotted manure and bark chipping around the base of the plants.

Spring flowing bulbs. Garden centres and DIY stores are well stocked with a variety of spring flowing bulbs right now. Daffodils, hyacinths and crocuses are best planted before the end of September when the soil is still warm. If you want to plant tulips, these should be planted during October and November.Plant them in borders and containers before the cold winter weather sets in. Plant each bulb 3 times their depth.

Inspect trellis, arches and other garden features to make sure they're secure. Otherwise the autumn and winter gales could bring the whole lot down. A quick fix now is better than a full repair after a storm. Insulate outdoor terracotta and ceramic containers with bubblewrap.

Service and Maintenance. Clean out the greenhouse, shed, garage, small garden buildings and storage areas. Service the lawnmower and other garden equipment checking the blade sharpness, oil and springs.