Net cabbages, sprouts and other brassicas

All members of the brassica family still need guarding against pigeons. At this time of the year, when there is increasingly little else to eat, they can completely strip the leaves.

Nets are the only sure-fire way to keep hungry pigeons away from crops such as kale.

Protect cauliflowers

Bend over a few leaves and tie them in place to protect the heads or curds from frost – just as you protected them from the sun in summer.

Cover late crops with cloches

Protect late-season salads and oriental leaves by covering them with cloches.

Clear away old plants

Continue to remove all remains of plants that have finished cropping. Provided there are no signs of disease add everything to your compost heap.

Take down bean supports

Dismantle any cane or wigwam supports once climbing beans finish drying out.

Weed and dig

Remove any surviving weeds (especially perennials such as bindweed or couch grass) and turn over the soil if it has become hard and compacted.

Dig in manure and compost

Wherever you can, dig in plenty of well-rotted compost or farmyard manure. In the case of raised or “no-dig” beds, simply spread it over the surface.

Lime your soil if necessary

Before the ground becomes too wet, test the pH value your soil. If it’s too acid, spread some powdered lime over the surface and rake it in. But don’t add it at the same time as manure, as they react chemically with one another.

Cover vegetable beds

As you clear your plot, continue to spread polythene sheets or membranes over the soil in order to keep off the worst of the rain and to suppress weeds. If you can’t get hold of plastic sheeting, old carpets or even cardboard will offer some protection.

Make leafmould

Leaves take a long time to rot down if simply added to a regular compost heap. It’s better to pile them into specially constructed wire cages so they won’t blow away. You can also combine them with a little moist soil and pack into plastic bin liners punctured with small holes.

Mulch celeriac and globe artichokes

Spread a thick mulch of straw or bracken around celeriac stems and also over globe artichoke crowns to protect them from frost damage in cold weather.

Remove rotten fruit

Any apples, pears and plums affected by brown rot and still hanging from your trees should be removed and destroyed, not composted.

Leaving withered rotten fruit on your trees can encourage the spread of disease.

Weed around fruit trees and bushes

Carefully weed around all established fruit trees, bushes, and canes. Spread mulches around the base of the plants.

Remove nets from fruit cages

Now is the time of year when you actually do want birds in your fruit cage. Take off the nets to allow them in to pick off and eat any lurking insects and their eggs. Removing nets also saves them from damage by heavy snowfalls.

Prune gooseberries and currants

Start winter-pruning gooseberry and currant bushes when the leaves have fallen and you can more easily see what you are doing. They can be pruned between now and next spring. Always cut out any dead, diseased, or damaged branches (the three D’s) and remove any shoots that cross over in the centre of the bush.

Prune blackcurrant bushes

Remove between a quarter and a third of the oldest stems, cutting them right down to just 2.5cm (1in) above the soil. Also remove any weak, crowded, or diseased branches. This way you’ll stimulate new growth and open up the bush so that light and air can circulate when the weather improves next spring.

Start winter-pruning apples and pears

Once most of the leaves have fallen and the trees have entered their period of winter dormancy, begin pruning.

Remove unripened figs

Take off and discard any figs as large or larger than a cherry. But leave the tiny embryo figs in place. They should fruit next year.

It is now too late for small, under-developed figs to ripen, and it’s therefore best to pick them off.

Prune vines

Once you’ve picked your last grapes, begin to winter-prune vines. Spread the task over the next two months and aim to finish by January.