You will hopefully be enjoying the fruits of your labour in the garden and especially the veg plot. Any fruit and vegetables you have removed from the garden and plan to keep in storage for use should be checked regularly for decay and if any signs appear it should be used immediately. As summer crops come to an end you should remove as much dead foliage as possible and add to the compost heap. If you planted your pumpkins as we recommended earlier this year now is the time to remove them and prepare them for Halloween. A lot of crops will require to come out of the ground now, Brussels sprouts is one that will be ready now and you should always start by removing the bottom sprouts and working your way to the top. The sprouts may require a cane to make sure they do not become top heavy and blown over in the winter winds. This dry weather has made the soil easily workable and given the heavy rains of summer the soil will need aerated by digging a full spade depth and turning over to allow the cold frosts of winter to assist in breaking up the soil in preparation of spring or perhaps you plan to sow immediately into the plot again. Remove any deep rooted tap weeds that are present. If your soil is a very poorly drained soil then double digging could be required but only on very wet soils. Now is a good time to plant the spring bulbs if you have not already done this. A bulb plant that can be planted in the garden at this time of year is garlic bulbs, they can also be planted in spring and is best to leave to then if your soil is a heavy wet soil. They can also be planted in pots if desired. To plant garlic bulbs choose a nice sunny, partially sheltered spot in the garden, plant the bulb plant 10-15cm apart and 25-30cm should be allowed between the rows of bulbs. These garlic bulbs need some protection from elements and pecking birds but equally need whatever winter sun is available to shine on them. If you have small clear plastic frames or polytunnel that would be ideal and if not you can always compromise using 5L plastic water containers and cutting the base off and setting these in the ground over the garlic bulbs. It is also a good time to sow broad beans but look for varieties that are cold tolerant, best to cover in a similar way as the garlic. You could also consider sowing onions this autumn for a nice early crop next year. It is again advisable to choose a hardy variety and cover to establish and protect.