Households urged to complete one crucial gardening job in October

With winter on the way, you'll want to make sure your garden is ready for the colder months. There's one job you can't miss out on, says BBC Gardener's World. If you want your plants to survive the colder and wetter weather, now is the best time to put some measures in place to protect them.

You won't need to make any major changes but with a few simple jobs, you can prevent any severe damage from taking place. BBC Gardener's World says you should remove any pot saucers and raise pots up onto feet to prevent waterlogging over winter.

By doing this, by the time spring rolls around, you won't be left with dead plants that you'll need to remove and replace. It's best to complete this task before the end of October.

RHS adds: "Few garden plants will survive waterlogging or flooding. Prolonged periods of sitting in soil saturated with water reduces the oxygen available to the roots and causes yellow leaves, root rot and death.

"However, conditions can be improved using various techniques to promote drainage and prevent damage."

You can check if your plants are waterlogged by looking out for some specific symptoms.

These could include yellowing or decaying on your plants leaves, wilting, a rotting smell, damaged roots or bark which is peeling away on trees.

In the short term, if you notice your garden is waterlogged, you should stay off of soils until the ground is workable.

You should also make sure to remove any damaged shoots from affected plants.

To help improve things, you can apply organic matter to improve the soil structure, mulching over the root area after application.

With this simple tip, you can help to prevent your plants from suffering in harsh weather conditions.

By spring, you won't find your plants lifeless and wilted meaning you won't face more gardening work.