Top 10 autumn garden tasks

Now the warmer months have passed, how’s your garden looking? While we may have spent the summer mowing the grass and enjoying everything in bloom, now that the shorter days are creeping in, so too are the damper, chillier conditions which make gardening a less attractive option.

Now’s the perfect time to get busy! Whilst we still have a bit of light in the evenings and the possibility of some milder weather, it’s a good idea to get the garden ship shape for winter. Let’s show our gardens some TLC so that they will be ready and waiting when spring rolls round again!

This year may have seen us spending even more time than usual in our gardens due to lockdown and social distancing, and it’s probably made many of us appreciate our outdoor space even more! When there really wasn’t anywhere else for us to go, our gardens were our havens! They gave us a bit of space to relax in the fresh air, especially with that glorious spring sunshine we had!

So we may be even more keen than usual to keep pur gardens in tip top condition this winter! We just don’t know what next year will bring so it’s more important than ever to ensure that whatever outdoor space we have is well kept.

Grab the rake

It’s that time of year where the leaves start dropping, so grab the rake and clear them away regularly to avoid ending up with big piles of slippery mulch all over the place!

Go bramble-free!

It’s bramble season! It’s been a warm September with a little bit of rain and that combination makes brambles go crazy! If you’ve had some pop up in your garden, take the secateurs to them! They can grow really long and are very sharp so keep them short to avoid walking into them and causing injury.

Trim those hedges

It’s amazing how much hedges and bushes can spread in just a few months! They grow so much in the spring and summer, so if they’ve not been closely maintained, get the trimmer out and give them the once over! It may create quite a lot of green waste but your garden will look neat once more and you’ll get back any space the overgrown hedges had claimed!

Grow your own

It seems like everyone’s been growing their own during lockdown! We all saw the veggie plot pics on social media – now it’s your turn! There are a few vegetables that you can grow in the winter and onions are one of them. Get them planted in the autumn and they’ll pretty much look after themselves over the winter months. Onions have a long growing season and won’t be ready until the following summer but it’s good to know you’re ahead of the game and have something growing when not much else is. Other winter veggies include garlic, shallots, spring onions, perpetual spinach, broad beans, peas and asparagus.

Take care of your lawn

Keep cutting the lawn regularly until it becomes too wet to do so. Raise the mower cutting height more than you would in the summer to keep the grass in good condition. If you’re planning to sow or turf a new lawn, now is a good time to do so whilst the weather is still mild and it’ll have time to settle before the temperatures drop too much.

Winter plant prep

Autumn is the ideal time to clear out dead material and plan your planting for next year. Clip fruit trees, wisteria and rose bushes and cut back dead stems on perennials and remove any old leaves. If it snows, make sure you clear it off your plants to avoid damage. Protect your plants from frost by adding a layer of mulch or bark around stems to help protect roots from the cold. You can also cover plants that can’t be moved with fleece to keep the worst off.

Maintenance time

Why not give your fences and decking a little bit of attention? If they need treatment or painting, get it done before the cold, wet weather sets in to ensure they’re fully protected from the elements. Prep the wood and buy the paint or sealant so that when you get a dry day, you’ll have everything ready to get the job done!

Batten down the hatches

Check that any structures in your garden are safe and sturdy to make it through the winter months. If you have fences, check they are strong and secure and likely to withstand any strong winds that the winter may throw at them. Also check any garages, sheds and outbuildings are watertight to avoidant leaks, damp and damage that you may otherwise only discover in the spring when it’s too late.

Clear unwanted equipment

You may have purchased things to use in the garden during the warmer months – particularly during the lockdown period – but that now may be past their best. Think punctured paddling pools, broken children’s play equipment, ripped tents, wobbly garden chairs. Most of these thighs can be broken down and the materials reused and repurposed, so fret not!

Remove excess garden waste

In the height of lockdown the Household Waste Recycling Centres were closed which meant that there was nowhere for excess garden waste to go, and even now, appointments are limited to one a week and these have to be booked in advance. If you accumulated lots of green waste during lockdown, now’s the time to clear it away.

Waste removal – think TJ!

TJ can help you with waste removal solutions for all your autumn/winter gardening tasks! TJ offers a range of skip hire options, from 2-yard mini skips up to 12-yard jumbo skips and everything in between. Hiring a skip will make your autumn garden clear-out a breeze as all your waste will be gone in one go, you won’t need to book a series of weekly trips to the tip, there will be less lifting and shifting and you won’t have to vacuum the car afterwards! Discover all the options TJ can offer you and get the dimensions of each skip and guidance on how much waste they’ll hold on the individual skip pages.

Another option is grab hire. If you just don’t know how much waste you’ll accumulate and you have an accessible driveway or property, simply piling all the waste in one spot and opting for grab hire may suit you best. Find out more about TJ’s grab hire service and give us a call on 08000 463 964 if you’d like to discuss it further.

Aggregates

Keep in mind that TJ also supplies a range of aggregates should you require any for your autumn garden project. From sand and gravel, to rock chalk and crushed concrete, we’re sure to have a suitable material for your requirements. Our sand comes from Hythe Quarry near Southampton and our rock chalk from Butser Quarry near Petersfield.

Get an instant online quote today for our skip hire, grab hire and aggregates services!