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Learn how to hoe your vegetable patch effectively with advice and a practical demonstration from Monty Don. Find out about tool sharpening and how frequently to hoe your plot. all year roundMore advice on common garden tasksWeeding by hand

a clean lawn edgeHow to mow a lawn effectivelyBrowse a selection of grass varietiesView plants by soil type

Plant gladioli in groups to depth of 10-15cm, planting onto gravel if you have heavy soilComplete outside sowings of hardy annual flowers Lightly clip box edging and topiary to neaten them upSpray new leaves on disease-prone roses with fungicide

Add lawn cuttings to the compost heap, or use them to mulch around fruit trees Mow and edge your lawnTie stems of tall perennials to supportsFeed houseplants every week with a liquid fertiliserClean out filters of pond pumps to get rid of any debris

to plantall year roundan afternoonCut a piece of string to the length you would like your cone to be, and tie the pen to one end. Stretch the string from one corner of the metal and draw an arc from one edge to the other.Cut along the line using the metal

length. This is about the maximum width of bed that can be easily tended, but the dimensions can be altered to fit your site.Mark out the vertical slots. On the long edge, measure 8cm from the end and draw a line down to the exact centre of the plank

-powered hedge-trimmerSafety goggles, glovesString line and canesSecure ladder and/or work platform for tall hedgesMay - September15 minutes per metre run of hedge Use long bamboo canes to mark the top edge along one side of the hedge. Push the canes down

You can't beat the taste of barbecued meat cooked on an open fire. Forget rushing to the garden centre to buy an expensive barbecue - set aside one day and you can have your own stylish brick barbecue.Once you've built your barbecue, why not turn

patchHow to mow a lawn effectivelyHow to cut a clean lawn edgeBrowse a selection of grass varietiesView plants by soil type

Consult Joe Swift's video guide to buying the right lawn mower for your garden lawn. Joe talks through the fors and againsts of different models, including push cylinder, electric, cylinder, petrol cylinder, an environmentally friendly ethanol