After a period of just letting things grow, it’s getting busier in the garden again. Work done now means less work next season then you can focus on timing seed sowing and planting rather than spending time on maintenance.

Tidy up

Now is an excellent time to get back into the garden and tidy up. Debris from spent plants and things that didn’t get sorted in the summer heat can now be cleared away.

Compost old plants but try to avoid putting seeds into your compost. If you have a lot of plants going into your compost (greens), don’t forget to add some brown material. Why not check out my post on composting if you want to know more?

Weeding

The warm but wet weather here in the East of England has encouraged weeds to come back. Getting them with a hoe while they are young means they are not competing with your other plants, and they die quickly after t having their roots cut or damaged by the hoe. An oscillating hoe is a good buy if you don’t have one already. They work in both directions cutting down time and energy used when caring for your beds. I have several types of hoes of different sizes to use in different areas of the garden. The smaller the working end, the more accurate I can be and can get into smaller spaces.

Gardening can be overwhelming, so try to do little but often rather than all at once. Take a few minutes, or hours, depending on your situation, to garden each day. The task doesn’t have to be completed in the time you have but regularly starting means habits are built, and the work gets done.