START planting cyclamen now into cooler areas of the garden.
Cyclamen were once thought of as a houseplant, or potted-plant only, but they really thrive when mass planted in the garden in a soil with good drainage and a dappled-light location.
They flower for months and are really low maintenance - other than a fortnightly liquid feed and a few minutes removing the spent blooms each week.
Put some in pots too and then you can bring them inside when in flower, or pop them in different locations around the garden for an instant splash of welcoming colour.
Kin and pumpkin
In the vegie garden, it is time to pick pumpkins if the stem that attaches the fruit to the vine has all but withered and fallen away from the vine.
This is the best way to test and judge whether a pumpkin is ready to pick.
Once ready they can be picked and left in a sunny spot to dry out - covering them overnight to protect them from dew.
Once they are dry, store them in a cool, but dry, location, such as a shed or garage, where they are protected from rodents and other pests.
Pick and eat
Potatoes, carrots, parsnips and beetroots can all be picked now but, for the best freshness, only pick what you are going to use immediately.
They tend to keep best in the ground as long as it is a well-drained location.
Liquid feed current crops, such as the brassicas, fortnightly with a fertiliser to keep the growth moving along.
Dig over areas that are not in use and add some lime and well-rotted manure and leave for later in autumn and early winter to sow onion seed.
Lawn repair
While the soil is still warm it is a good time to repair or sow new lawns. Remove all weeds by using herbicides specifically recommended to kill off the broad-leaf weeds and leave the lawn grasses.
Then aerate the lawn and lightly cultivate the areas to be sown to a depth of about 15cm.
This allows seeds to germinate and root growth to penetrate into the soil. Add a lawn-starter fertiliser and seed at the recommended rate and keep moist while the seed germinates.
