JANE: I find the actual process of gardening is all about mindfulness,
and I usually feel very present and in the moment.
But to have the best chance of success, it does pay to think ahead.
And autumn, of course, is a great time to prepare for winter,
and it's also laying the groundwork for spring.
The first thing to do is to get on top of any invasive weeds,
and it's far easier to get them out
now that the soil is wetter.
Check on your fruit trees and remove any damaged fruit or leaves,
and keep an eye out for any damaging insects.
Don't put the diseased fruit in your compost.
Put them in the bin.
Crops that have gone to seed are fine to go into the compost.
However, you can collect the seed first to sow again for next season.
Simply put the seed heads into a paper bag
and wait for the seeds to fall,
and then, once they're completely dry, you can sow them.
If your soil is looking a little bit tired,
like this one - see how dry and flaky that is? -
all it needs is compost or manure.
It adds a bit of life into the soil.
Anything like that will be really good, nice and friable.
Smells alright too.
And it just helps the soil recover
from the heavy-feeding crops over summer.
Things like tomatoes and that type of thing,
they really take quite a lot out of the soil,
so the more that you can add, the better.
You can also sow a green manure crop.
You can buy the mixes or you can make your own
by mixing a legume, like a broad bean or a pea, with some grain, like oats,
and any other vegetables or herbs.
Let these seeds grow for about six to eight weeks,
and just before they flower, cut them off right at the base
and dig the whole lot back into the soil.
All the goodness from the plants will be returned to the soil,
and a few weeks down the track
your patch will be primed with organic goodness,
ready for growing a new spring crop.
It's a cornerstone of sustainable gardening.
If you live in a frost-prone area,
don't forget that healthy plants have
more capacity to resist the frost damage,
so feed them up a little bit, just a little bit of liquid fertiliser,
and some mulch never does any harm.
And if you can remember to do that
just a few weeks before the frost comes in your area,
you'll do a world of good.
When frost is forecast for the next day,
for last-minute care, give the garden a really good water in preparation.
You see, moist soil will retain its heat better than dry soil.
And if you have an old sheet or some towels,
you can also cover tender plants overnight.
It's not gonna win awards for aesthetics, but it works.
With the change of seasons, it's a great time
to take a bit of an audit of your garden.
Maybe there's something that's not quite working.
Maybe there's too much shade or too much sun
and the plants are not growing very happily.
Maybe they're too overcrowded.
Well, never let that stand in your way of getting some new plants.
I love pulling things out and starting things again.
If you've got a bit of free space,
you could squeeze in some new colour.
And I'm putting a correa into this little gap.
It flowers through winter and into spring,
and pollinators just love it.
Now, this is where future planning really come into its own.
Many plants like to be planted early
so that they get a good head start
and just sit quietly growing away in winter,
and then really zoom ahead in spring and even into summer.
It includes things like the onions,
anything in the allium family,
one of my favourites being the garlic, of course.
You've got broad beans.
But don't forget about flowers.
Sweet peas can go in, and they give you such joy.
When it comes to the garden, I like to think ahead
so that when I'm actually outdoors,
I really don't have to think about anything at all.