Search - Articles

Shorten sideshoots growing from the framework of espalier, fan and cordon-trained fruit trees back to about five leaves from their basePick fresh herbs for dryingPick gooseberries, currants, strawberries and other fruits as they ripenSupport heavily

Place card collars around the stems of brassicas to prevent an attack of cabbage root flySow pots of herbs such as parsley, coriander and basil Plant out early potatoes, onion sets and shallotsThrow sheets of fleece over fruit trees on frosty nights

, and water clumps with a generous helping of liquid feedPrepare to cover fruit tree blossom with horticultural fleece to protect flowers if frost is forecast Sow seeds of the following crops outside this week: beetroot, lettuce, salad leaves, watercress

Dig over veg plots, mixing compost into the soil as you goContinue filling a trench with kitchen waste where you want to grow beansCover rhubarb with forcing jars for an early harvestUse cloches to warm the soil for early sowingsPlant new fruit

Prune out the oldest stems from blackcurrants to encourage new shootsCheck crops that are in store and discard any showing signs of rotFork compost into the soil and clear old crops from the veg plotCover fruit trees and bushes with netting

Plant shallots outside into well-prepared soilSow mustard and cress in a pot on the kitchen windowsill for a quick cropUse netting and bird scarers to protect fruit bushes from hungry birds, which can strip off swelling budsPrune side shoots

Plant bare-root fruit trees before they start growing in MarchSow seed of broad beans, carrots, hardy peas and parsnips outside in soil warmed by cloches

Cover rows of strawberries with cloches to encourage early fruitingPlant early potatoes outside in rows, or in large pots of compostSpray fruit trees and bushes with fungicide to prevent powdery mildew disease attacking themPick off faded

Hang old CDs among crops and from fruit trees to scare away birdsWater beans and sweet peas as they start to flowerGive extra water to ripening soft fruits such as raspberries, gooseberries, strawberries and currantsFeed tomatoes and crops

and other berries from birdsCut out fruited canes of raspberriesPile up the earth around trench varieties of celery for whiter stemsPick 'Discovery' and other early ripening applesPrune blackcurrants after fruiting, removing about a quarter of the oldest