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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

to supportsClip box hedging and topiary to keep it neatFlowersSow a few seeds of salad leaves every 2-3 weeksPlant out crops being raised in pots under glassCover soft fruits with netting to prevent birds eating themFruit & vegTake cuttings from pelargoniums

Plant out lettuce There's no secret to growing salad crops - just keep planting a little and often and you'll guarantee yourself continuous fresh leaves to add crunch and flavour to your meals. Homegrown salads are tastier, too, than anything you

around each plant and water.AdamMore advice on seed sowingGrowing chillies from seedGrowing salad leaves from seedGrowing tomatoes from seedBrowse a selection of herbs View a selection of vegetable plants

Finish planting out vegetable crops, including tomatoes, beans, courgettes and sweetcornSow summer salads in guttering to grow quick cropsUse netting to protect developing and ripening fruits from birdsTie in new shoots on blackberries, raspberries

August can often feel like a tricky time on the allotment. Lots of things like salad potatoes and beetroot have been harvested, leaving large gaps or whole beds free. Then there's the interruption of a summer holiday - should you sow anything new

It is much maligned, but I rather like it. It has a little fire to its breath, adding 'zing' to salads, and perking up sandwiches. No, I'm not thinking of any trendy leaves from a supermarket 'luxury range', or from a delicatessen. I'm thinking

.Cowslip, Primula verisLeft to its own devices, the foxglove tree, Paulownia tomentosa can grow to a height and spread of 12m x 10m. But if cut down to the ground annually, it will produce long (3m) stems with leaves up to 60cm wide.Foxglove tree, Paulownia

Chickweed, Stellaria media, is best thought of as a delicious rather than a pernicious weed. Its young leaves are packed with vitamins, so it makes a healthy addition to salads. However, it can also harbour greenfly and spider mite, so remove

and other crops to keep them growing stronglyStop cutting asparagus by the end of June to allow the ferns to formThin out heavy gooseberry crops by removing the smallest fruits, and use these for cookingMake successional sowings of salad leaves and radishes