Shed first into autumn

SEPTEMBER is a transitional month in the garden.

- By Deborah Stone

Summer’s over but autumn’s hardly started, so it’s a good time for shed maintenance when it’s dry. If you haven’t waterproofed or painted yours in a while, now’s the time to do it before daytime temperatures drop below 20C.

Specialists Emperor Paint and Ronseal have online guides for this - and Ronseal suggests using wood filler on gaps and cracks first and sanding down flaking paint before getting out your brushes.