As the warmer months draw to a close, your garden’s needs will change according to the weather, with the cooler temperatures and dark nights affecting the health of your garden.

At the point the leaves start to turn you should be looking to get your garden in good shape for the winter weather and ensure everything is in order. To get you started, we’ve put together this guide on how to prepare your garden for autumn.

1. Plant aplenty

Although spring is the best time to plant most plants, there is still an abundance of them that thrive during autumn. So the sooner you get started, the better! Starchy winter vegetables to make soups, casseroles and stews are best planted at this time of year, so make sure to get your seeds or potted plants in the ground as soon as possible.

Year-round vegetables such as onions and garlic can be planted, as well as earthy winter vegetables like turnips, radishes, asparagus, and broad beans.

Thick-rooted trees also plant very well, with autumn being the best time for planting shrubs, so it is the perfect time to get your bushes and trees planted for the following year.

2. Collect that compost!

With summer behind us, lots of dried grass, dead leaves, and plant debris will be readily available, making the perfect base for a compost bin.

To have a healthy compost box, you need approximately two-thirds brown and one-third green materials, with any scraps or dead plants the perfect way to source the former.

Composting is one of the best ways to care for your garden this autumn, while also reducing food waste and providing fertiliser for your garden without any expense. So clean out your compost bins, and start to collect new things to put in ready for the colder months ahead. Just put all your leaves, stalks and other findings in a dry, weatherproof outdoor container, and top up with debris as and when you have it. It’s as simple as that!

A compost pile

3. Maintain your lawn

Although the warmest part of the year may be behind us, maintaining your lawn is an all-around job. Your grass will still need to be watered and cut from time to time, so regular care and maintenance will keep your lawn looking as green and healthy as possible.

Make sure that you regularly rake up the fallen leaves and moss to leave your grass exposed to sunlight and rainfall, and buy a lawn feeder if the grass looks a bit brown and dry. Lawn feed will help your grass heal from the scorching sun damage and prepare it for the upcoming cold weather.

4. Deadhead your plants

As spring and summer plants lose their leaves and petals for the year, removing, or “deadheading” these from your plants is one of the best ways to care for your garden this autumn, as it encourages healthy future growth and also gets rid of all of the bacteria and plant disease that occurs during winter than can kill off your plants.

Autumnal plants and veg

To do this, gently pinch the bloom, and pull off any faded, dry, brown or rotting leaves from each plant. The earlier you do this, the better chance for lush regrowth. Pruning leaves and branches off of bigger plants will also help the overall health, ensuring that they survive until the following spring and hopefully a lot longer.

5. Get your soil ready

The key to having successful plants throughout spring and beyond is healthy soil. But regularly weeding your flower beds and plant areas, you can maintain a perfect environment for future planting and prepare your spring bulbs to be planted in the winter.

Remove all woody, old and rotting plants from your soil area, and place them in the compost if they don’t have any visible plant disease. Then, when the soil is damp but not wet, break it up with your trowel or garden fork until all of the thick clumps have been broken up. This way, when the ground freezes over winter, it will freeze this fine textured soil so that when it defrosts in the warmer months, you will have broken up, easy-to-dig soil that will be perfect for planting.

And that is all our top tips for keeping your garden healthy in autumn! We also have plenty of recommendations on maintaining your spring and summer garden, so be sure to check them out when the time comes!

Does your garden need a special tool to help keep all of your plants healthy all year round?

Our Qwickhose Starter Kit provides an easy way to water your garden keeping it in the best condition.