YOUR GARDEN: DO IT! Jobs for the week

TOUGH TASKS

KILL moss by applying lawn sand. It'll take about two weeks to die then should be raked out along with dead grass.

CUT down buddleja, lavatera and tall rose bushes by a third to reduce wind damage.

HARVEST pears before they are fully ripe. Fruit that is ready for picking will come away easily from the tree when you twist and pull it. It can be stored in a cool shed or fridge for up to one month.

BIT OF EFFORT

LIFT dahlias once frost has blackened the leaves. Trim back the hollow stems, hose down the tubers to get rid of the soil and hang them upside down in a frost-free place to dry.

PUT fruit, seeds and a bowl of water out on a daily basis from now on to keep the birds from going hungry during the lean winter months.

GIVE privet and shrubby honeysuckle (Lonicera nitida) hedges their final trim before winter.

DEAD EASY

PLANT containers for colour throughout the winter. Choose a terracotta pot rather than plastic - the drainage is better - and add grit to the compost to prevent root rot. Plant pansies, ornamental cabbages and heathers.

PLACE a ripe banana in the branches of tomato plants to encourage green fruits to ripen quickly. Remove yellowing leaves and pinch out side shoots on non-bush types.

PLANT autumn onion sets in free-draining soil 6ins apart. Protect from birds with black cotton or netting.

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