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I'm no weather forecaster, but as a keen gardener I always keep one eye on the elements. Many years ago our weather appeared to follow more defined, predictable seasons, and this dictated what gardening jobs should be done when.Look at any month

outdoor jobs: sweep and scrub the patio.The pond is full of duckweed and not much else, so I'll remove that and find out what happened to the watercress and water forget-me-not (bounced out by bathing pigeons, probably). Then I need to top up a few pots

.In the meantime, hungry birds will make short work of seedheads and do a much better job of finding slug and snail eggs than I ever could. The frogs will bed down in their hibernaculum and among leaf piles, and the mouse, worms, slugs and beetles will stay warm

of accumulated flower pots. This is a great job to do while listening to the radio. Shall I tune in to Gardeners' Question Time or Planet Rock?12 ORDER SEEDSBack indoors for my final job. What better time to relax with the latest crop of seed catalogues and work

Call it my dedication to work, but I sacrificed my one lie-in a week yesterday to get out in the snow. No, I wasn't coerced into it by young children, but by my neighbourly garden photographer, Tim Sandall.You see, capturing gardening in all its glory for Gardeners' World Magazin...

August's plum time in my garden, with 'Victoria' a firm family favourite. Everyone loves them, especially my daughter Danielle, who strips my single fan-trained plum before even the wasps get a taste!This has led me to extend my plum picking season by planting an earlier ripening...

February is a thoroughly miserable month: the ground is too muddy, the rain too chilling, the light bleak and most people are feeling fed up: really the only good thing about it is that it is shorter than the other months. But, as that ghastly month closes, if you look closely th...

Pot up rooted cuttings and young plants that have outgrown their potsSow seeds of marrows, courgettes, squashes, cucumbers and melons in a heated propagatorWater pots and trays of seedlings with a solution of copper fungicide to prevent damping-off diseaseSow summer bedding, such...

Plant tomatoes in large pots or growing bagsOpen all vents on warm days, or install automatic vent openers, to encourage good air flowSow tender primulas, such as Primula obconica, P. kewensis and P. sinensis, to grow on as houseplantsTake cuttings from new growth on dahlias, pel...

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 in the eveningSow seeds of marrows, cour...