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in the year, to encourage them to put on growth before winter sets in. Space them at 10cm intervals in rows 20cm apart, and water well. If you don't have seedlings to plant out, you can usually buy plug plants from garden centres and mail order companies

You can never have enough lettuce in summer, but sowing directly into the soil takes up valuable space in the garden. Keep a regular supply growing by sowing seeds in lengths of plastic guttering: short, 1m lengths are convenient and easy to handle

Rocket is best sown between March and September but even late sowings can produce a good crop of spicy, peppery leaves for salads. Keep nipping off the rocket leaves and it will provide rich pickings for weeks, and ensure a continual supply by making successive sowings throughout...

Tomatoes are easy to grow from seed and should germinate within two weeks. Compact cherry varieties can be grown in pots and hanging baskets, while larger, cordon types are more suited to being raised in the ground or in growing bags. Tomato seedsSeed compostPlastic potsVermiculi...

. Take care not to disturb the beetles before an application, or they'll jump out of harm's way.brassica seedlings, nasturtiums, alyssum, anemone, stocks, cleome, godetiaspring, summerMore common garden pestsLily beetleRosemary leaf beetleCapsid bugsLeatherjackets

of beige or silvery trails appear and spread just below the upper surfaces of leaves.Pinch off infected leaves as soon as the first 'wiggling' trails are seen and dispose of them in the bin or burn them immediately.many shrubs, perennials, vegetables, fruit

Saving seed from your garden plants is easy to do and will provide you with plenty to sow next season. Leave a few seedheads on your plants after they've finished flowering, removing the rest to conserve the plant's energy. Alternatively

with the biological control Steinernema carpcapse.With heavy infestations, use an insecticide based on pyrethrum (only use once a season on crops).brassicas and nasturtiumsearly spring to autumnCommon problems when growing vegetables

More common garden pestsRosemary leaf beetleLily beetleVine weevilThrips

, or thiacloprid.virtually anything from tomatoes to honeysuckleearly spring to autumnDealing with other garden pestsWoolly aphidsWhiteflyPear leaf blister miteLeafhopper