Weekend work: Time to plant daffodil bulbs and lift carrots

What to do

Continue to plant daffodil bulbs to naturalise in grass. The best tool for this job is a long-handled bulb planter. Deep yellow 'Golden Harvest', creamy white 'Mount Hood' and the pink-tinged 'Mrs RO Backhouse' all continue to flower well after 10 years in the ground.

* In a wild flower meadow, stick to species or near species such as the Tenby daffodil, Narcissus pseudonarcissus obvallaris, (£4.50 for 10 from Ron Scamp at Quality Daffodils in Cornwall, 01326 317959, qualitydaffodils.com) or the white N. cyclamineus 'Jenny' (£7.50 for 10). Both grow to about 50cm. Bonemeal added at planting will help them to compete on more equal terms with grass.

* Lift main crop carrots and store them in buckets of damp sand or sawdust in a cool place inside. Some varieties such as 'Chantenay' and 'Autumn King' stand well in the ground, but may need a loose mulch of straw later on if they are not to be solidly frozen in situ.

What to see

* The Royal Horticultural Society celebrates autumn harvests at its London show next week with smoothly elegant onions, perfect pears and plenty of English apples to taste. The show is open Tuesday (10am-8.30pm) and Wednesday (10am-5pm) at the Horticultural Hall, Vincent Square, London SW1P 2PE; admission £5. For more information go to rhs.org.uk/shows