As the clocks go back and the leaves come down, a little effort in the garden now pays off twice over — your furniture and timber come through the winter in good shape, and you've got a head start when spring arrives. Better still, a few of these jobs mean you can keep using the garden on crisp, dry evenings rather than shutting it off until March. Here are six ways to get your garden winter-ready.
1. Give your garden furniture a dry home
Months of rain, frost and damp are the biggest enemy of garden furniture and cushions. Bring cushions indoors or into dry storage, clean and treat timber furniture before it goes away, and cover anything that has to stay out. For cushions, covers and smaller pieces, a lidded timber box keeps everything tidy and dry — the Storage Box T&G and the larger Garden Store are both built for exactly this. Our complete garden furniture care guide covers what each material needs before it's put away.
2. Get your firewood under cover
If you've got a wood burner or fire pit, now is the time to make sure your logs are stacked off the ground and sheltered from the rain. Damp wood smokes, spits and barely gives out any heat. A compact option like the Log Box Sawn or the Slatted Shoe & Log Store keeps a handy supply by the back door. For a bigger stack, our guide on how to choose the right log store walks you through capacity and placement.
3. Clear the clutter into a shed
The mower, bikes, tools, hoses and the barbecue all last far longer out of the weather. If you're short on space, autumn is the ideal time to add a shed — the ground is still workable for a base, and it'll be up and full before the worst of the winter. Browse our Garden Sheds collection, or read why autumn is the best time to buy a garden shed for help choosing the right size, cladding and roof. For bikes or tools on their own, the Pent Shiplap Bike Store and Tool Store are neat, space-saving alternatives.
4. Fix muddy paths and soggy corners with gravel
Lawn that turns to mud every winter along the route to the shed, the bins or the back gate is a sure sign it needs a proper path. Gravel is one of the quickest, most affordable fixes — it drains freely, looks smart and is easy to lay over a weed membrane. Hoggin Self-Binding Gravel compacts into a firm, natural-looking surface that's comfortable underfoot, while Welsh Blue Plum Slate and Golden Gravel are classic all-rounders. For waterlogged spots, Drainage Gravel lets water get away fast. See the full Decorative Gravel and Slate Chippings ranges.
5. Feed and protect your borders
Autumn is the best time of year to mulch. Once you've cleared spent annuals and cut back tired growth, spread a generous layer of compost over bare soil — it insulates roots against the cold, suppresses weeds over winter and is worked into the soil by worms long before spring. It's also the right moment to top up raised beds and planters, or to level and improve a patchy lawn with fresh topsoil. You'll find everything you need in our Compost & Topsoil range, delivered in bulk bags.
6. Keep enjoying the garden after dark
Winter doesn't have to mean shutting the back door until March. A fire pit turns a cold, clear evening into the best night of the week — wrap up, pull up a chair and enjoy the garden when it's at its most atmospheric. The Corten Steel Fire Pit comes in 70cm and 90cm sizes, and its pre-rusted finish looks better with every season it spends outdoors. Pair it with a dry supply of logs from point two and you're set for bonfire night and beyond.
A little now saves a lot in spring
Do these six jobs over a couple of dry weekends and your garden goes into winter tidy, protected and still usable — and comes out the other side ready to enjoy from the first warm day. Explore our Garden Storage, Landscaping and Garden Buildings collections at Oak & Outdoor to get everything in place before the weather turns.