Autumn Gardening Guide

Autumn is a fantastic season in the garden. The air is crisp, with warm long days, perfect for the tasks that need doing following the heat of summer.

It's a great time for sowing a new lawn, planting bulbs, trees and shrubs, and of course planting the vegetable garden for the months ahead.

Autumn to do list

• Autumn is the perfect time for lawn TLC, and to sow a new lawn. Check out our 3 simple steps of lawn care.
• Harvest seeds from last season's crops for use next season. Label them carefully before storing.
• Plant up pots and containers with autumn potted colour.
• Apply Tui Organic Seaweed Plant Tonic every 2-4 weeks to help prevent transplant shock, promote strong growth and keep your garden thriving.

In the vegetable garden

• Replace the lost nutrients from those heavy growing seasons by adding in compost, blood and bone, and sheep pellets. This will provide a healthy new foundation for your autumn and winter crops.
• Keep mounding up celery and leeks.
• Harvest pumpkins and dry well before storing.
• Main crop potatoes should be ready for lifting.
• Autumn is an ideal time to plant broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, beetroot, spinach and Chinese cabbages.
• Plant lettuce early autumn and you can get a good harvest from most lettuce varieties.
• Sow seeds for your winter crops like carrots, swedes, turnips and radish. A good seed raising mix that is light and free draining will ensure your seeds get the best possible start.
• Autumn is a busy season for slugs and snails so protect your young vegetable seedlings with Tui Quash.
• Aphids and whitefly will be about. Blast off with a hose or spray with warm soapy water.
• If early frosts are a concern, protect seedlings with a cloche or growing tunnel.

In the fruit garden

• Autumn is a busy time for the home orchardist as new season fruit trees make their way to the garden centre and existing trees are laden with fruit.
• Fertilise citrus trees in early autumn with Tui Citrus Food, unless there is threat of frost.
• Prepare new planting sites with compost and plant into garden mix.
• Protect grape vines with bird netting.

In the flower garden

• Autumn in the flower garden signals a time to change to new season's potted colour.
• Pansies, violas, and polyanthus are more tolerant of the cooler weather.
• Plant into Tui Rose & Shrub Mix for best results and feed with Novatec.
• It is the best time to plant bulbs for spring flowering, see our Bulb Growing Guide for more information.
• Basic maintenance in the flower garden requires pruning back flowering plants that have finished for the season.
• Support taller flowering plants like dahlias and sweet peas with frames or stakes.
• Mulch your flower beds to suppress weeds and protect plants from the cooler months ahead.

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