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tomatoes with Bordeaux mixture to prevent blightThin heavy fruit crops, picking off the smallest. Aim to leave developing fruits about 10-15cm apart along the stems, perhaps thinning congested spurs down to just a single fruitSow seed of herbs now

Keep picking summer-sown salads to prevent the plants running to seed Plant garlic cloves outside or in modular seed trays ready to plant out later this autumnCover herbs like basil and parsley with cloches, or bring potted ones under coverHarvest

stems of sedumsClear borders and rake up leaves FlowersKeep harvesting root vegetables as they matureOrder seed potatoes, onion sets and shallotsStretch netting over brassicasFruit & vegSow onion seed under cover, and keep warmCheck overwintering plants

Plant sweetcorn All the juicy sweetness in corn cobs is lost if you don't eat them within (literally) minutes of harvesting - so you really will only ever experience sweetcorn as it should be when you grow your own. All they need for success is sun

FlowersDig over veg plots, mixing compost into the soilContinue filling a trench with kitchen waste Cover rhubarb with forcing jars for an early harvestFruit & vegTop up fuel tank of paraffin heater every eveningBring potted hyacinths and bulbs under cover

wisteria, shortening long sideshootsFlowersHarvest young marrows but leave some to fully ripenPinch out the tops of outdoor tomatoesPlant out rooted strawberry runners into new bedsFruit & vegFeed tomatoes in growing bags and pots Plant nerines, lachenalia

Around the gardenTake cuttings from pansies and violasPot up tender perennials grown outside Prune rambling roses after floweringFlowersFinish summer pruning trained apple and pear treesHarvest apples, pears, plums and gages as they ripenSave seeds from varieties

for autumn interestLift gladioli, clean the corms and store them FlowersMake a cross-cut in cabbage stems when harvestingSow broad beans for early crops next May and JunePut cloches over tender herbs like basil and corianderFruit & vegBring tender succulents

summer displaysPrune rambling and climbing rosesFlowersKeep harvesting root veg such as beetroot and carrotsOrder fruit trees and bushesFinish picking beans, but leave a few pods to ripenFruit & vegPlant winter salads in growing bagsCheck heaters

the gardenPlant tulip bulbs in groups to make drifts of spring colourAfter first frosts, lift and store dahlia tubers Plant evergreen shrubs and conifersFlowersPick ripe apples and pearsFinish harvesting marrows, squashes, onions and potatoesSow broad beans