Weekend work: Time to sow lawn seed

What to do

Lawn seed can be sown now on areas that have been well dug, raked and cleaned of debris. The soil is still warm and moist which will encourage seed to germinate and grow away fast. Sown now, it will have plenty of time to get roots established before frost comes. Cats scraping the new seeds can be as much of a menace as birds. Netting seems the only answer.

Morello cherries fruit on growth made the previous year, not on old wood. You need to dissuade them from fruiting only on the outer fringes of the tree by cutting away one or two of the older branches now. Take them back to a point where a strong new shoot has broken out.

Spinach can be sown now to overwinter and give an early crop in April of next year. Spring cabbages should be planted at least 23cm/9in apart and given some protection against slugs and pigeons.

Take cuttings of thyme by pulling off strong growing shoots and pushing them into the ground round the parent plant. They should root in four weeks.

What to see

There'll be a Rare Plant Fair tomorrow (11am-4pm) at Llanover House, Llanover, nr Abergavenny, Monmouthshire NP7 9EF. It's a great opportunity to buy unusual things, but also a chance to wander down the herbaceous borders of this fine garden and admire the trees in the parkland. Admission £4. Call 0845 468 1368 for more information