Use a hoe to keep the ground free from weeds. Once you have harvested vegetables, turn the soil to leave it for the winter weather to do its work.
Hard frosts break down the soil ready for next year’s planting. Some vegetable such as parsnips, salsify and celeriac can be left in the ground, but lifting some to store if there is heavy frost threatening is a good idea. Lift carrots, beetroot and turnips before Jack Frost can do his damage.
Fork up potatoes and let them dry before storing. Protect cauliflowers and continue to blanch endives.
You can plant garlic cloves. Very cold weather will promote a good yield but if your soil is too heavy you can start cloves off in small pots in a cold frame or cold greenhouse and plant them out in the spring. Spring cabbages grown from seed in early August in seed beds can be moved in early October.
- Complete earthing up of celery and leeks
- Protect late crops with cloches and fleece
- Harvest maincrop apples
- Put greasbands around pear and apple tree trunks to trap winter moth grubs
- Cut down asparagus foliage
- Plant out under glass cauliflowers grown from seed
- Thin onion and turnip beds