Green Magpie

Bee hive

I think that if you want to take up beekeeping, you'll need to find out a bit more about it. You don't just get a hive and wait for the bees to come - it needs to be actively managed. If left to themselves, a new colony won't survive long, mainly because of disease.Honeybees rely very much on human management for their survival. Beekeepers usually start out with a "nucleus" of bees plus a queen (although a swarm may function in much the same way) but you need to know how to inspect the frames, how to check for disease, how to identify the queen and how to know whether she's mated successfully , when and how to feed the bees,... and so much more. It's a very rewarding hobby (my husband is a beekeeper). so it's worth finding out a bit more and then deciding whether it's something you'd like to take on.

Purple Tomato leaves

I think it may be magnesium rather than potassium that they're lacking. But more likely it's just the cold - mine are the same, although the newest leaves look a bit greener (so far).

Herbs from seeds

If you pick out the tips of basil and space the plants out a bit, they'll fill out a bit more than the supermarket plants - in fact, when I buy supermarket basil, I transplant it into a pot twice the size and space the plats out - it can last for many weeks. But they ares still quite small plants and you can do with plenty of them if you like it a lot.

Coriander tends to stay a bit leggy, in my experience, but is probably better not too crowded. Parsely does best if it's really well spaced out - maybe 8 or 10 inches between plants.

Green pond

No point in restocking unless you can protect your new fish. A net or wires across the pond can help. Plants that give surface cover, such as lilies, provide cover for the fish and also help to reduce the algae by keeping sunlight off the water. Oxygenating plants are good for clearing the water, and/or you could get a littel solar-powered fountain. 

how often should i water new seedlings

You didn't say what type of seedlings, but some, such as tomatoes and chillies, are better watered in the morning, so that they don't get chilled at night.

Yellowing leaves

If there's a lack of anything, it's more likely magnesium. If repotting doesn't sort it, try spraying the foliage with Epsom salts.

New gardener advice on growing tomato's please

If they still haven't appeared, you can cover the top with cling film until they do, so they won't dry out. But remove it once the seedlings emerge.

I have a little bottle-top sprayer that fits on a 2L pop bottle, and is ideal for giving a fine spray on seed trays etc. Can't remember where I got it, but you can probably get them in garden and plant centres etc.

potatoes

If you do plant them out and then are worried about late frosts, you can protect the shoots with fleece, or even just newspaper overnight. I'm not rushing to put mine out yet - for one thing, it is so miserably cold in the garden that I don't want to do it!

FORKERS CLOTHING

My favourite gardening gloves are those "builders' gloves" that have a rubber palm and a cotton back. I bought a big multi-pack from eBay last year and it's nice to have a stock of them ready for when they wear out (which they don't do readily).

And this weather I also wear (if I go out at all) an old, padded waxed jacket, cord trousers, and an old pair of walking boots, which are much warmer than wellies. I am, by the way, a female magpie, which isn't obvious from my picture, or indeed from my garden clothing, as it's all a bit shapeless and unisex.

Evergreen climbers

The "Freckles" clematis, recommended above, is a dainty little thing and won't grow quickly or give much cover for a while. For a fast-growing evergreen clematis, get something like an armandii. And yes, ivy is great for wildlife but the plain green native ones can get a bit out of hand. The smaller-leaved, variegated ones might be better.

What not to grow

Photinia Red Robin pruning?

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