Time to prepare for 2011

Britain’s gardens are beginning to change colour and growers should have by now started to move their more vulnerable plants into the greenhouse.

However, while autumn is a "mellow time" for gardeners, there is still plenty to do in terms of preparing for the growing season.

According to DIY Matters, now is the perfect time to get soil ready for next year by riding it of any impurities and supplementing it with some nourishing organic material.

The firm advised digging in some well-rotted manure to help replenish nutrients, which is especially useful where fruit and vegetables may have been sapping them from the soil.

Meanwhile, growers can kill two metaphorical birds with one stone by raking up fallen leaves from the lawn and placing them in perforated bags.

Not only will this prevent the grass from becoming a boggy mess, it will also provide a useful supply of leaf mould for next year.

In other news, the Royal Horticultural Society has claimed now is a great time to sow new lawns and gave advice on how to do so on its website.