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and removing algae from between the panes, using a combination of strong water jets and a slim piece of plastic cut from a margarine tub. Then, having finally cleared the last of the tomatoes from the bed, I removed any lurking traces of grey mould from

sketch of the plot, including all the beds and other growing spaces. I photocopy this plan every year and write in which vegetable crops I'll be growing in each bed. I take care to check the plan I drew for the previous three years to make sure I

ripping out the lawn and a whole herbaceous border - to be replaced by a gravel path, three raised beds and a greenhouse. No more mowing of the lawn (or arguments about why it hadn't been mown). If you're a busy person, it makes more sense to have

Make a bird boxCreate a bat boxBuild a raised bedHow to fit guttering on your greenhouse

or ruining your display, it might not be worth fighting it. This grass can make itself at home all around the garden, particularly in beds, borders, the lawn and paving. It has fluffy flowerheads that disperse seed and keep the weed coming.Use a handfork

wildlife into your garden, keep a few stems of valerian for them. There is an ornamental white form of valerian.Stems of bright pink-red flowers that quickly spread across the garden, taking over in beds and borders.The best organic control is digging

Plant out leeks and brassicas raised in a seed bedSpread mulch around beans and other crops to help conserve soil moistureNet developing soft fruits to protect them from birdsSpray apple trees showing signs of powdery mildew or scabWater onions

Plant daffodil bulbs in pots and borders Check roses for suckers and cut off any you find, just below groundTrim conifer hedges to neaten their appearance and control heightEmpty pots of faded early summer bedding, adding old plants to the compost

Buy tulips now while they're fresh in garden centres, but hold off planting till next month Plant daffodils, hyacinths and crocus in potsLift and pot up tender perennials to protect over winterClear away faded summer bedding and annuals, composting

Cut late-summer-flowering clematis right down to soil levelDivide congested clumps of perennials such as asters, campanulas, rudbeckias and chrysanthemums after floweringPlant bare-rooted rosesDig up and compost exhausted summer beddingPlant out