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with the hose.roses, dahlias, fuchsias, lavender, rosemary and many garden plantsspring, summer, autumnMore common garden pestsCapsid bugsEuonymous scalePhormium mealybugScale insects
Basil is an easy herb to grow, and does well on a warm, sunny window sill. After about five weeks, the seeds will be ready for pricking out. You can keep basil plants indoors all summer, or transplant them outside in late-May. Basil seeds
Monty Don shows how to plant the herbs, peppermint and thyme in pots, with advice on watering, drainage and when to prune.springMore advice on growing herbsPicking herbsRaising new mint plantsGrowing basil from seedPlanting herbs in a window box
on the underside of leaves. Destroy plants if you find it.Advice on growing and harvesting herbsWatch Carol Klein planting herbs in a window box in her video guideGrowing peppermint and thyme in a container, with Monty Don at BerryfieldsTips on picking herbs
Monty demonstrates how to plant autumn-fruiting raspberries, and offers tips on soil preparation, planting depth and spacing. October-NovemberMore on growing raspberriesHow to enjoy a long raspberry seasonVideo advice ongrowing raspberries
/vermiculite John Innes No. 2 compost for potting onMay - August30 minutesSnip off shoots of new growth 10cm - 15cm long. To reduce moisture loss, remove most of the lower leaves so you have a clean length of stem.Use a sharp knife to cut off the base of the stem
.rosemary, lavender, sage, Russian sage, thymelate-summer, autumnAdvice on growing herbsTaking rosemary cuttingsDealing with cuckoo spit on herbsPicking herbsAdvice on growing medicinal herbsVideo demonstration of planting herbs in a window boxVideo advice on how
In mid-spring, 2mm-long, greenish-brown, adult bay suckers emerge from overwintering. They feed on young bay leaves, turning them yellow and making the edges thicken and curl. The females then lay eggs under the curling edges and the new, young grey
green beetles and their and fat, black grubs.Mint is a prolific plant, so there's no need to control the beetles. If you're worried, you could try growing pennyroyal, Mentha pulegium as a sacrificial crop, or simply remove beetles and larvae by hand
Jekka McVicar's 10 companion plantsJekka McVicar's organic herb garden achieved a gold medal at the Chelsea Flower Show 2009. We caught up with her at the show to discover her top 10 herbs for growing as companion plants.Companion planting