Many people assume that work in the fruit and vegetable garden tails off as the sets winter in, however there still plenty of worthwhile jobs to do:

Sow

Broad bean seedling

• Hardy broad beans and peas can be sown now to provide an early harvest next year.
• One of the most reliable varieties of hardy broad bean is ‘Aquadulce Claudia’.
• A good variety of pea is ‘Douce Provence’. We sowed this last autumn, it over-wintered very well and cropped in June. Another advantage is that the plants are quite short (approximately 75cm) and require minimal support.
• Sweet peas can also be sown now. They are not edible but no garden is complete without them.
• Mice and birds can be a problem feeding on pea and bean seeds and seedlings. To deter them we sow the seeds in pots, toilet rolls or root trainers on tables in our polytunnel and plant them out in February or March.

Plant

• November is a good time to plant garlic, rhubarb and fruit trees and bushes.

Prepare the soil

• Healthy soil is essential for good crops. The best thing for any soil is to incorporate plenty of well-rotted organic matter such as compost or manure. This can be applied to the soil surface as a mulch or dug in.
• Fork over any areas of the garden that are infested with perennial weeds before you apply organic matter.
• Bare soil (without plants growing in it or mulch) is at risk of being eroded by winter rain. If you do not apply an organic mulch, there is no need to clear plants that have finished cropping. Leave them in the ground until spring; their roots will bind the soil together helping to prevent erosion.

Volunteers Adam and Alasdair (our compost guru) raking leaves

Make leaf mould

• Autumn leaves are a great source of organic matter. Collect them and leave them somewhere to rot down. This usually takes about two years.
• It is not a good idea to add lots of leaves to your usual compost bin as it tends to slow the composting process down. Create a separate heap with chicken wire and posts to contain the leaves or you could simply fill large garden refuse sacks with holes punched in.

Post and chicken wire leaf heap container

Other jobs

• Lift and store root veg before the weather gets too cold.
• Erect cloches over the more tender winter veg such as chard and winter lettuces.
• Clean polytunnels and greenhouses, winter salads will appreciate the extra light.
• Start to prune fruit trees.
• Plan for next year – most seed companies have published their catalogues now so spend some time choosing what you want to grow next year.
• Make a Christmas list – ask your loved ones to get you something for the garden; tools, plants, seeds or a new gardening book.