Fiann’s tips for the weekend

* It’s still warm enough to germinate green manure and sowing some into vacant beds not only boosts fertility when dug in next spring, but covers your soil against weed colonisation over the autumn and winter.

* Keep a step ahead of botrytis and remove yellowing or spent leaves from any over-wintering brassicas.

* Keep sweeping up leaves and start a soil enriching leaf mould process for next year by piercing a few air holes in the bin liner that you have gathered them into. Store in the shade or shed for the next six months.

* Timely tidying removes pests and diseases but just be aware not to disturb any overwintering colonies of beneficial ladybirds. They favour leaf piles, log piles, and unkempt areas of the garden. No harm in leaving a scruffy patch, which we can rebrand as a ‘biodiversity corner’.

* If dividing, transplanting, or planting bare roots — fruits, roses, or hedging — soak them for one hour in a bucket of water with a tablespoon of Epson salts and a crushed-up b-vitamin complex tablet, which will negate the worst of any potential transplant shock.