Running a sustainable garden means thinking ahead and planning for the long term. So while you may have plenty of plants still in your garden to tend, even as the weather begins to cool, you should also consider garden jobs that will set you up for the seasons to come and help you maintain a healthy and productive garden over the months to come. 

Here are 7 sustainable garden jobs for this month:

Start a Composting System if You Don't Have One Already

If you do not already have a composting system in place, this is the perfect time to get started. There are many different options you could consider – from composting in place, to a simple cold composting heap or bin, to hot composting systems or composting with worms...

As the year turns and the cooler season arrives, make sure that you make the most of all the organic matter you generate in your home and garden. Avoid waste, and gain a useful fertilizer or soil amendment to aid you in your growing efforts.

Set Up a Rainwater Harvesting System

Another thing to do as soon as possible if you have not done so already is to think about how you can catch and store water on your property. 

Attach a rainwater barrel to the guttering on your home, or other garden buildings, or simply place one in a suitable spot. Consider creating a reservoir or garden pond. Take steps to catch more water in the terrain with earthworks, by improving the soil, and by placing the right plants in the right places.

Sow Green Manures and Cover Crops After Harvesting Main Crops

After harvesting many of the crops that graced your vegetable garden in summer, don't leave the soil bare. If you will not be planting more crops right away, make sure that you add some green manures or cover crops to protect and enrich the soil over the coldest part of the year.

Plant Some Winter Crops

Of course, in many areas, you will also be able to grow during the cooler season. Now could be the time to plant a range of cool season vegetables where you live. It can be a good idea to sow plenty of brassicas, root crops, onions and maybe even potatoes where it remains frost-free. 

Even if you do have a frost, you can sow winter crops with cloches, a row cover, a greenhouse or tunnel, or some other type of protection.

Don't Forget Companion Planting

As you plant your cool season crops, make sure that you add some flowers to add some colour and visual appeal, and to serve as beneficial companion plants for the vegetables you grow. Many herbs can also be planted at this time of the year and these can also be great companions for your vegetables in a range of different ways.

Stay On Top of Weeding, and Make a Weed Tea

Though plant growth will typically slow as the weather cools, you will still need to stay on top of weeding throughout the year to avoid too much competition for your cool season crops. 

But weeding does not need to be a chore. A spot of casual weeding as you pass by avoids the need to do too much weeding all at once. And the weeds can often be beneficial when added to water and used to make a 'weed tea' – a liquid, organic plant feed for your crops.

Consider Choosing Bare-root Trees or Shrubs for Your Garden

As the weather cools, you may find that you begin to see bare-root trees or shrubs for sale at local garden centres or plant nurseries. In some areas, this will be a good time to order these bare-root specimens to plant out in your garden during the dormant period. 

These are just some of the jobs you might like to consider taking on this month in order to keep your garden healthy and productive and truly sustainable over the years to come.