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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

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 - the long stems emerging from the main...

of tomato.Choose open-pollinated tomato varieties (not F1 varieties as they may not come 'true'). It's also a good idea to save heritage, or rare varieties of tomato in this way, to preserve the seed for future generations.TomatoesKnifeGlass jar

the ground level.Dig a trench, 30cm wide by 20cm deep, and part fill with soil down its length to make a mound 10cm high. Take the asparagus crowns and sit them 30cm apart on top of the mound, spreading the roots on either side. Cover the crowns with 5cm

Tomatoes will thrive in a greenhouse in midsummer with the right light, warmth, water and feed. But there's no point in ruining your hard work by watching the plant collapse under its own weight, when some simple staking will save the day. Nor do you want too many leaves when it'...

with a larger rooting area and stop them drying out in hot weather, which is better for the plants and means less watering for you. 2 - 3 tomato plants60 or 75 litre bag of multi-purpose compostKnife or scissorsHand forkTrowelJune (or May in a greenhouse

it to stand for a week, to allow the chlorine to evaporate.When filled, trim liner and underlay together leaving 10-15cm of overlap. Fold over the corners ready to fix on the planks.Lay lengths of decking over the four edges of the pond, parallel to the sides

be shaded in summer but not too sheltered from the rain.Weed-smothering membraneChicken wireFour tree stakesHammerRubber malletWire or twineautumnan hourCut a piece of weed-smothering membrane to about 1m², allowing a little extra at the edges to tuck around

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