Start saving fallen autumn leaves from your own garden and collecting them from the streets. You can immediately spread them as mulch to lock in moisture and reduce weeds or pile them up in wire cages and let them rot into leaf mould. The longer you leave the leaves, the richer they become and the more biological activity they will encourage when added to your soil.

Harvest all basil before the leaves deteriorate in cold weather, making sure to save some seeds for planting next year. Leave the spent flower heads to dry for a few days and then crush them over a fine colander to collect the tiny black seeds. Store them in a paper bag or envelope in a dry, dark spot with a stable temperature and humidity level. Basil seeds can also be used in cooking where, like chia seeds, they turn gelatinous when wet.

It might not be full-blown dandelion-flowering season but these weeds can still be annoying in autumn. Make the most of them by digging them up and harvesting their carrot-like taproots, which are at their plumpest now. You can eat them raw (though they can have a slightly bitter flavour) or slice them and boil them in water for at least five minutes, or until they soften. Alternatively, roast the roots and grind them to be steeped in water to make dandelion root tea.

Some olives are ready to harvest around now, though the exact timing will depend on your climate and the Olea europaea variety you have growing. Kalamata olives should be left on the tree until they are black, but some other table olives can be harvested while still green. Those olives to be used for oil are often best harvested when they are turning from yellow to brown. But also feel them to check they are neither very hard nor excessively soft as skin colour is not always a perfect indication. Prune trees after harvest, removing crossing banches and opening up the canopy so that light and air can penetrate.