Fiann’s tips for the weekend

Fiann gives his gardening tips for the weekend.

• Check your stored fruit and veg and discard any showing the slightest sign of rot, so as not to lose your entire store. Develop a practice of checking in on saved fruit and veg regularly.
• Tidy and prune soft fruits.
• Thin spurs on orchard trees and garden espaliers/cordons etc.
• After this week, do not prune cherries, plums, apricots, peaches, nectarines or almonds – best wait until spring to avoid any potential winter establishing diseases.
• Prevent winter moth damage to your fruit trees by utilising grease bands around the trunks.
• Spread manure and compost over vacant cultivated beds.
• Cover can be applied this month to prevent weeds taking over and to heat up the soil come next spring.