How to care for your vegetable garden in autumn

Finish harvesting anything that needs to be harvested and proceed to tidying up. Remove any dead plants from your vegetable beds. You don't have to pull out the entire plant; you can simply cut them back and leave the roots in the earth to decompose. This is a particularly good idea for any plants belonging to the legume, bean or pea family as the root nodules of these plants are packed with nitrogen.

After pulling out your tomato plants, it's best to burn the vegetation rather than put it on the compost pile as these plants are usually diseased by the end of the season. However, you can safely collect your stakes: you have all winter to treat them using a copper sulphate solution. Continue to air out your greenhouse when the weather is good.

Pull up any root vegetables (carrots, turnips, beetroot, radishes, parsnips, etc.) and store them in a cool, dry place. Leave any root veg that is not ready in the ground but be sure to cover your crops with a thick layer of mulch or dead leaves. Mulching gives you two advantages: the roots will be protected from the frost and it will be easier to dig up your crops when it's time to eat them.

Earth up any vegetables that will remain in the garden such as leeks, Brussels sprouts, savoy cabbage, winter cabbage, lamb's lettuce and so on. Alternatively, you can protect them using a horticultural fleece.

Cover up your herbs (parsley, coriander, etc.) to prolong their life so you can continue to cook with them. Chicory roots can be taken out in October and forced.

It's best to work the soil in autumn, particularly if you have clay-heavy soil, as the task will be much harder come spring. Pick a sunny day in autumn or the start of winter to work the surface of your soil using a cultivator or go a bit deeper with a spade or broadfork.

If you're working with a spade or cultivator, leave the soil in large clumps and don't try to break it up too much: the frost will do the work more effectively for you.

Broadforks are increasing in popularity as they don't turn the soil over at too great a depth. This is important as doing the contrary can be harmful for the microbial life in the soil (which builds the foundation of your garden).

After you have worked the soil, spread an even layer of mature or semi-mature compost, or mature manure over the soil. You will require roughly 3 kg of compost per m2 (or 4 litres). Ideally, you shouldn't add any compost to land that will be used to grow crops that don't require a lot of nutrients (such as peas, beans, garlic, onion and shallots). Of course, this is only possible if you've already planned out what you want to plant in the garden come spring.

If you don't have access to compost or manure, add some shop-bought powdered or pellet compost to your soil. Compost shouldn't be buried in the soil; at most, it can be mixed into the top few centimetres of the soil.

If you can't work the soil in the autumn, you can make do with adding a layer of semi-mature compost to the surface followed by a layer of mulch that will remain in place all winter.

Once the soil has been worked, weeded and composted, don't leave it bare; instead, add a layer of mulch to protect it from rainfall and run-off. This will also help to create a favourable microclimate for soil life which will help to work organic material into the soil and break down the nutrients provided.

In the vegetable garden, be sure to use an organic mulch with nutritional value such as straw, hay, dead leaves or ramial chipped wood (RCW). Mineral mulch should only be used for flowerbeds, pots or pathways.

There is no limit to how much mulch you add to your soil; feel free to really go for it! In the springtime, you can simply add any mulch that hasn't broken down to your compost pile.

Green manure is used to protect the soil, improve its physical structure and supply it with nutrients. Green manure that is sown in the autumn can be ground up or mulched at the start of spring.

Sow mustard, faba bean, phacelia or rye seeds in any unused plots of land. You can also create a mixture of legumes and grasses. The only thing you can't do is to sow mustard seeds before or after any cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, turnips, etc.) as these crops do not like acidic soil.

Sow lamb's lettuce and spinach seeds straight into the ground in a sunny spot. Plant winter lettuces in a sheltered spot or under a horticultural fleece. You can also plant cauliflower and spring cabbage.

Allow the foliage of your asparagus plants to yellow before cutting it down to a few centimetres from the soil using secateurs. Spread an organic, well-rotted manure over the surface of your soil. Don't have any asparagus in the garden? Now is a good time to plant some!

Replant any potted herbs (chives, tarragon, sorrel, mint, rosemary, savory, thyme, etc.) or divide them up.

Clean all tools of soil and grease, and oil wooden handles using flax oil before storing. Drain your watering system before the first frost.