Search - Articles

Carrots need space to develop fully so, once germinated, go over your rows of carrots and pick out the weakest-looking vegetable seedlings to leave a 2cm - 4cm space around remaining seedlings. If you're very careful in extracting the seedling from

More advice on growing fruitMake the most of summer raspberriesGrow early strawberriesGrow blueberries and cranberriesEnjoy a long season of raspberriesBrowse a variety of fruit

large clods. If necessary, incorporate some well-rotted manure or garden compost to improve soil texture and fertility.Transplant the leeks into the ground when they're about 15-20cm tall. Use a broom handle to make holes 15-20cm deep and about 15cm

Monty Don demonstrates how to plant out leeks without damaging their roots, offering advice on planting depths and watering frequency.summerMore video advice growing vegetablesPlanting out leek plugs.Growing courgettes.Harvesting carrots

Plant out lettuce throughout the summer to ensure a continuous supply of salad. You can grow your own young plants from seed or buy them from nurseries and garden centres. Lettuce makes an ideal quick crop to grow between other vegetables before

Follow Monty Don's guide to planting onions, shallots and garlic, with tips on soil preparation, drainage and compost.springMore advice on growing alliumsRead Lila Das Gupta's blog on growing garlicHarvesting garlicPlanting out leeksAdvice on growing garlicPlanting shallots in a ...

StringMeasuring board (optional)February - May30 minutesFebruary - MarchUsing string as a guide and a trowel or draw hoe, dig a shallow trench about 15mm deep.Sow seeds individually along the row or in groups of two or three at regular intervals, about 10cm apart. You

Watch Monty Don as he experiments with a new method of growing summer-fruiting raspberries, which claims to yield fruit in the first year.springMore on growing raspberriesRead Lila Das Gupta's blog on growing raspberriesMaking the most of summer

Forcing rhubarb by covering the crowns will encourage the plants to make early growth. These forced stalks can be harvested for use in cooking when they are 20cm - 30cm long and make a useful substitute for fruit when there is little else in store

As soon as your strawberry plants have finished fruiting it's time to clear away all the straw or matting to discourage slugs and snails from nibbling at the plants. It's also a good time to raise some new plants from their abundant runners