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to improve, so then will the crop.Baby courgettes fail to develop. Instead of growing into a long or round shape, they quickly rot on the plant.Pollinate the early batch of flowers by hand, rather than relying on insects. Pick an open male flower (which doesn

The white powdery coating on a curcubit's leaves is made up of spreading fungal spores. This affects the plant's performance, with growth, flowering and fruiting all being adversely affected. In extreme cases, the mildew can lead to dieback and even kill a plant. Since there are ...

hours, say a shed, but near to a bright window or lamp. The beetles will fly up towards the light. Grow brassica crops under fleece or very fine mesh netting.shasta daisies, sweet peas, cauliflowers, many ornamentals and vegetablesspring, summer

Regularly water crops in pots and growing bags, daily if needed in warm weather Plant trailing tomatoes in hanging basketsFeed young plants weekly with a solution of liquid fertiliserVentilate the greenhouse during the day, but close vents

Feed fast-growing plants with a diluted liquid or powdered fertiliser Thin out congested pond plantsHand weed flower beds to prevent weeds establishing and setting seedBuild simple log piles at the back of borders to provide shelter for frogs, toads

It's almost a gardening tradition to plant courgettes and other cucurbits in the first week of June. I love planting courgettes, pumpkins and squashes when the weather warms up. I get a bit twitchy in May as the plants get larger, their leaves

In most years I usually plant some of the more tender veg crops, such as courgette and squash, by late April. If I had done so this year, the plants would be dead by now, as May was so unusually cold. (And I don't even think the chunky bell cloches

Wrap grease bands around fruit trees to catch female winter moths climbing up from the soilPlant out garlic or start growing cloves in pots to plant out laterClear away old crops and dig over the groundSow hardy peas under fleece for an early crop

vegetable plot and my newly planted squash plants were eaten over night. Now all I'm left with is a selection of decidedly miserable-looking stumps with a few scraps of leaf clinging on for dear life. Of course, the slugs are happy as can be. They're full

, the young shoots need clipping two or three times during the growing season. Dig out lawn weeds, such as daisies and dandelions Watch out for greenfly and blackfly on developing plantsCollect hellebore seeds from ripe podsAround the gardenPlant out