Autumn is in the air this month, with the leaves turning and the nights turning chill, bringing on one of the year's most spectacular explosions of colour as the trees turn red, yellow and burnished copper. Keep the fireworks going with our must-do jobs this month:
General tasks:
Make a leafmould bin from chicken wire stretched around four posts. Collect fallen autumn leaves to rot down into soil conditioner.
Lay new turf while there's still warmth in the ground: it'll root over winter, ready for you to enjoy next spring.
Ornamental garden:
Cut back herbaceous perennials which are looking tatty – but leave those with good winter seedheads, like rudbeckia.
Lift dahlias and other tender bulbs as soon as the first frost hits, as they won't usually survive winter in the ground.
Move alpine troughs into a porch or place a sheet of glass over the top to keep off the winter wet.
Kitchen garden:
Harvest and store apples before the frosts hit, keeping only perfect specimens and wrapping them so they don't touch
Sow broad beans like 'Aquadulce Claudia' to overwinter in a cold frame so you can enjoy an early harvest next year.
Plant out winter lettuces like 'Valdor' and 'Arctic King' as young plants under cloches.
