Autumn made easy

Ensure your garden is in great shape for the colder months ahead - and next year's growing season - with Sue Kent's guide to hassle-free autumn preparation

- Sue Kent

October is a mellow month with a fading, romantic and relaxed atmosphere to enjoy while putting the garden in order. There are still fruit and vegetables that need harvesting and storing to maximise the potential from this year's hard work. Plus there are young plants to protect through winter as temperatures dip.

I always prepare in case the winter proves to be very cold my small hands are not suitable for gloves so outdoor work isn't always possible - and by the end of October my major work in the garden needs to be completed. I have to confess I don't like housework, but I find giving the garden a once-over before winter a very rewarding job.

Sue's 10 key jobs to get your garden autumn-ready

The mild warmth of mid-autumn presents gardeners with the perfect opportunity to enjoy a few restful days outside, gathering final harvests, storing and preserving this year's bounty, and stealing a march on next year's growing season.

Move seedlings

I have lots of self-seeded plants around the garden including wallflowers, forget-me-nots and verbascums. Most of them are in unwanted areas so I move them to where I want them to grow. This is a great way of saving money and reducing the garden's environmental impact by using less resources.

Store apples 

The cooking apples are now ready on the trees and are best picked in the morning when the fruit is still quite cool. I wrap them up loosely in newspaper so they're not touching each other and store them in single layers in trays at a temperature of 3-7°. I also use any damaged ones immediately, making cider vinegar with the good parts.

Make leafmould