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raised when tunnels appeared in the borders and holes in the compost bin became a little too wide and numerous to be the work of a wood mouse. Then, my fears were confirmed when I emptied my compost bin and the rat shot out. I’m not against rats and think

and everything will look distinctly brown and soggy. This will be the time to clear the decks, cutting back the borders and adding the discarded stems to the bulging compost heap.I always enjoy this time very much as it means that spring is on the way. As last

I just can't resist getting my fingers into compost in February. I know it's too early really, as there is frost on the grass and the days are still short. But now we're getting the odd splash of sunshine, between the ice and gales, I'm eager to get

Growing tomatoes with ring-culture pots involves surrounding the crop with a bottomless ring and adding layers of compost at 10-14 day intervals. This encourages the tomato to root from the stem so it can take up more water and nutrients than

of 18-21°C to germinate, so do consider investing in a heated propagator to maintain a constant temperature through March and April.Good quality seed compostPotsSummer bedding seedsVermiculiteMarch - April10 minutes to sow the seedsJune - September

savings to be made.Give your plugs a little attention on arrival, unpacking them and standing them in water or misting until the compost is moist. Before potting on, leave them to settle in a warm, well-lit room for up to 24 hours.How much care plugs

patch, be sure to allow sufficient space for the fully mature crop.Pumpkin seedsSmall potsSeed compostHeated propagator or warm windowsillWell-rotted manure or compostVented bell clochemid-March to mid-June18-22 weeks from sowingSow seeds individually

'll be sufficiently developed to plant in your borders. This head start will increase the likelihood of flowers in the same year.Lily of the valley crownsPotsGood quality multi-purpose compostMarch - April15 minutesJune - AugustLily of the valley crowns are available

large enough to accommodate the tuber, and fill around it with multi-purpose compost leaving the top of the tuber showing. New shoots should appear within weeks.When you plant them out, leave 15cm to 45cm between plants, depending on the ultimate size

Two years, I felt the need to grow a local, native plant in my garden. I gathered rosehips from a field rose at the edge of a nearby canal, soaked them in water and sowed the seed in coarse compost.The pots sat in a corner of my patio, doing nothing