Amateur Gardening – 24 August 2019

6 AMATEUR GARDENING24 AUGUST 2019

1

Emptycompostbinsofready-to-

usematerialtomakeroomfor

new green and brown plant material.

2

Anybitsthatarestillwholeand

woodyshouldbeaddedtothe

new heap to rot down some more.

3

Inautumnandwinter,addyour

composttothebedswhereit

will break down and enrich the soil.

4

Spentcontainercompost

doesn’thavemanynutrients,

butit canbeusedasa soil

conditioner on borders.

Keep on

composting

Use it up to make room for more

Step

by step

Get ready for autumn

Summeris endingsostartlookingahead,saysRuth

1

Keepgreenhouseglasscleantolet

in themaximumamountoflightand

warmth.Hangunripetomatoes upside

down so they redden faster

2

Cutbackfloweredperennials

beforetheybrownandstarttorot,

anddeadheadannuals to eke out the

last few flowers.

3

Rakeupearlyfallenleavesso
theydon’tsitonthegrass.Turn
andemptyleafmould bins to make
room for more.

4

Rakeuplawnmossandthatch

toimproveairflowaroundgrass

rootsandmakeaeratingholesin

areas prone to waterlogging.

Studyyourbordersand

decidewhatyouwantto

plantin anygapsthis

autumn.Dividedperennials

andspring-flowering

bulbsareallideal

space-fillers.

Makesurethesupportsandtiesof

youngtreesaresecurebeforelate

summer/early autumn storms arrive

Stockupon

weatherproofing

essentials