In early autumn, sow salad crops under cover. Broccoli, cauliflowers, onions and radishes may also be sown in the open ground for spring use. Winter salad vegetables and oriental brassicas may also be planted under cover.

In mid-autumn, start digging over and manuring empty parts of the vegetable garden. Leave much of the garden fallow over the winter so that the frost can break it down and make it friable for next season. Lift root vegetables such as beetroot and carrots when their tops fade, and cut down the foliage of asparagus when it is mature. Stake and earth up winter brassicas, celery and leeks.

By late autumn, lift globe artichokes and store them in sand, ready for planting out again in early spring. Dress the asparagus bed with well-rotted manure after any remaining growths have been cut down.