Planning what to do

Below is a checklist of jobs that need doing in the veg garden.

Autumn

The dying tops of potatoes are cut down now and those of pumpkins and squash removed. The fruits themselves are 'cured' in a warm place for a week or two before storing in a dry, frost-free place. Potatoes need to be stored in the dark.

There are still many crops to gather - autumn cabbages, calabrese and cauliflower, celery and autumn salads of endive and chicory, for example.

However, summer crops - beans, tomatoes for example - are finished and the plants should be consigned to the compost bin. Canes and stakes should be recovered, soil knocked off and stored dry to avoid rots.

In early autumn there is still time to sow green manures that will get established in autumn, survive winter and be ready to incorporate in early spring; Italian ryegrass, grazing rye and vetches are suitable.

All spent stems and debris should be removed to avoid carry-over of pests and disease and to expose slugs and other pests to birds and weather.

Most root vegetables are best left in the ground and gathered as you need them, but in case a cold spell prevents harvesting or even damages them, a proportion can be lifted and stored in a frost-free shed. Celeriac and turnips are especially frost sensitive. Carrots left in the ground benefit from an insulating covering under plastic sheeting. Witloof chicory can be lifted for forcing in a warm place. Leafy chicories can be induced to form heads by lifting and planting in a greenhouse.

Spring cabbages should be transplanted to their final positions. Overwintered onion sets are planted, overwintered lettuce and spinach sown, and later, hardy pea and broad bean cultivars can be sown in situ in sheltered districts and well-drained soils. Cloches can do good work over the winter protecting these crops. Later still, just before winter sets in, garlic and shallots can be planted.