• Replace strawberry beds which are more than three years old once the crop has been harvested, as output will go into decline.
  • Take cuttings of rock plants such as aubrieta, alyssum, phlox, thyme and dianthus.
  • Start to think about your bulb requirements for spring bedding, with a view to ordering early.
  • Save a few new potatoes to plant for a fresh crop at Christmas.
  • Expose them to light for a few days until they become green all over then plant in a container so protection can be given when the weather turns cold.
  • Pinch out any weak shoots of large-flowered dahlias.
  • Feed trees and shrubs that are performing badly with a high nitrogen liquid fertiliser.
  • Cut culinary herbs and dry or freeze to use later in the year.
  • Feed tomato plants regularly.
  • Make sure leafy veg such as lettuces and spinach, as well as fruiting crops such as tomatoes and marrows, have sufficient water.
  • Top up garden pools to replace water through lost evaporation.