If you grow your own veg here in Essex, autumn is not the end of the season. It is the start of the next one. The work you put in over the next few weeks, while the soil is still warm and easy to work, sets up everything you will harvest next spring and summer. We have been helping local growers get their plots ready at our family-run farm shop in Billericay since 2001, so here is our honest, no-fuss guide to autumn prep.
Why autumn is the best time to prepare
It is tempting to shut the shed door once the tomatoes are finished and forget the garden until March. The trouble is, spring always arrives busy, and cold, wet soil is miserable to work with. Autumn soil is a different thing altogether. It is still holding the summer's warmth, it drains better, and any compost or manure you add now has the whole winter to break down and feed the ground. Do the graft now and you will be planting into lovely, crumbly soil while everyone else is still waiting for theirs to dry out.
Clear, feed and cover your beds
Start by clearing out spent plants, fallen leaves and any weeds that have crept in. Anything healthy can go on the compost heap. Anything diseased is better off in the bin. Once a bed is clear, spread a good layer of compost or well-rotted manure over the top. You do not need to dig it in. The worms will do that for you over winter, which saves your back and protects the structure of the soil.
If you can, cover any bare beds with cardboard, a thick mulch or a layer of compost. Bare soil over an Essex winter gets battered by rain, loses its nutrients and grows a fresh crop of weeds. A simple cover keeps it protected and ready for spring. We stock compost and soil and aggregates in the shop if you need to top up.
What you can still plant this autumn
Autumn is not all tidying up. There is plenty you can still get into the ground in Essex right now:
- Garlic and onion sets, which need a cold spell to grow well and will be ready next summer.
- Broad beans such as Aquadulce, sown now for an early crop.
- Overwintering salad leaves and hardy spinach in a sheltered spot or under cover.
- Spring cabbages and other hardy brassicas if you have young plants to hand.
It is also the ideal time to plant fruit bushes and bare-root trees while they are dormant. If you are refreshing your borders or containers too, our plants and gardening ranges change with the season, so it is worth popping in to see what has come in.
Sort your tools, pots and containers
A quiet garden is the perfect moment to get your kit in order. Clean and oil your spades, forks and secateurs so they are not a rusty mess come spring. Empty, scrub and stack your pots and seed trays. Check over your canes and netting. If you grow in containers or raised beds, top them up with fresh compost now so they are ready to go the moment the weather turns. We keep tools, pots, compost and growing bits in stock all year round, so you can pick up what you need in one trip rather than waiting on a delivery.
A few tips for Essex gardens
Our corner of Essex is fairly mild and on the drier side, which is good news for autumn growing. A couple of local pointers. The clay-heavy plots you find around Billericay benefit hugely from added compost and grit to improve drainage, so do not skip that step. And keep an eye out for the first frosts, usually from late October, so you have time to pop some fleece over anything tender.
Come and see us
Whether you are a seasoned grower or just fancy having a go at your own veg next year, we are always happy to talk it through. We have been part of the Billericay community since 2001, we supply everyone from local families to the NHS, and we genuinely love seeing what people grow. Come and find us on Southend Road, or browse our vegetables if you would rather let us do the growing for you this year. Either way, a little autumn prep now means a much better veg garden when spring comes round.