Autumnal Advice

As the sun sets down on a glorious summer, it's time to turn your attention to those garden chores. The mornings are starting to get a little fresher and the gardens have well and truly enjoyed the long awaited down pours over the last week. It's now time to tidy up the garden and cut back the dying stems, collect the seeds and rake up the falling leaves.

Don't forget to compost your leaves down, this will provide your soil in the future with free enrichment. Cutting back your garden and clearing vegetable patches, will also generate a large amount of compostable waste. Now is the perfect time to use up your old compost and use it around the garden, making room for this years waste. If your compost is not ready, to help improve decomposition, mix up the compost or opt for a compost bin with 2 or more bins. This will allow a new heap for fresh organic matter and that way your older compost heap has more time to mature. You can never have enough compost.

Putting the garden to bed for the Winter will allow you to make quicker progress in the Spring months and clear your ground ready for new shoots to arrive. More time can then be sent sowing your seedlings in your potting shed during the Spring months to ensure a bountiful Summer.

Whilst you are tidying up this Autumn and preparing for the Winter months, don't forget to treat your wooden buildings, replace any rotten fence posts or shed panels. We also make and supply fence panels, concrete posts and are also able to supply treated wood for any repair works that are required.

At Halstock Sheds our sheds come dip treated in a water/ wax and acrylic base to help preserve the wood. We recommend this is carried out every 12-18 months, depending on how open to the elements your building is. This will help prevent the wood from rotting, drying out and splitting. One of our 5 litre containers of shed treatment will roughly cover an 8' by 6' shed. If it has not been done in a while, expect it not to go as far, especially after the hot dry summer we've had.

Now is also a good time to check your roof doesn't leak and wooden structures are strong enough to help future proof them from any winter storm damage. We use a roofing mineral felt that is 4mm thick as standard on our sheds, however we do offer other roofing options such as shingle tiles and tin. On all our larger sheds we also offer a membrane for even higher protection. (Something worth thinking about when purchasing a new shed.)

You need your shed to be watertight for storing your garden furniture away and keeping it in good condition for next year. You don't want to be seeing your expensive outdoor dining table and parasol flying across your lawn, be sure to store it away!

For those of you fortunate enough to have a Summerhouse, you've probably been enjoying a glass of Pimm's or two in them..? Now you'll soon be exchanging that for a nice cup of tea and a slice of apple cake, i'm sure! Close the doors up on yourself away from the cooler and wetter months ahead. You lucky Dry Ducks!

Feel free to comment below if you need any further advice or guidance!..