WITH a chill in the air and the nights closing in, there is no doubt autumn is just around the corner.

For the vegetable grower, it’s time to harvest the last of the summer crops, and ponder preparations for the next growing season.

Maincrop potatoes must be out of the ground within a couple of weeks, using a potato or garden fork to lift them to prevent damaging the tubers.

Harvest the last of the peas and runner bean crop for this year, and keep harvesting chard, spinach, carrots, celeriac and lettuce.

Sow winter lettuce and a couple of short rows of winter hardy peas and broad beans towards the end of the month to provide you with an early crop next spring.

Plant out spring cabbage and overwintering types of onion and garlic. It is also a good time to plant rhubarb crowns.

Rough dig over heavy ground and leave it in lumps or ridges to be broken down gradually by the winter frosts and rain. Keep off the soil if it is wet and don’t be tempted to dig it if it is frozen. When to soil is frozen hard it is a good opportunity to cart barrows of manure or compost over it.

Insulate your greenhouse before using it to protect the your more tender plants using horticultural fleece or plastic bubble sheeting; newspaper is an excellent substitute if you lay several layers over your most precious plants whenever a frost is forecast. It is also a good idea to wrap their pots in bubble wrap to insulate their roots.

The last couple of winters have been cruelly hard. Be prepared to protect chard plants, spinach, winter lettuce, peas, broad beans and any other crops that you are overwintering from the worst of the winter weather. Keep some fleece, plastic or have cloches nearby ready to use.

Clean and clear the plot of spent crops and take down the runner bean poles, cleaning the soil off the bottom of them before storing them somewhere cool and airy ready to use next year.

Stake Brussels sprouts and sprouting broccoli plants to prevent them from being blown over in strong winds. It is also worthwhile dragging soil up around the base of the plants to give them extra support.