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Water azaleas regularly with rainwaterTake the last chance to bring on forced indoor bulbs for festive decorationsWater potted fuchsias sparingly to prevent the compost drying out completelyTidy the greenhouse and pick faded leaves from pelargoniums

Mint plants give the best flavour and fragrance from new growth and are renowned for their vigour. So take cuttings in spring and you'll have young mint plants bursting with flavour and ripe for the picking to last you all summer. Mint plant

SievePaper envelopeAugust - October1 hourChoose a couple of healthy tomatoes and mark them with a tag, so you don't pick and eat them by accident.When the tomatoes are very ripe, pick them off the plant and cut into them over a plate.Scrape the tomato seeds out into a

with purple stripes.Pick off the adult beetles and larvae by hand and destroy.Spray with an insecticide - thiocloprid or imidacloprid - between late summer and spring. Avoid using insecticide when the plants are in flower as bees may also be killed

that shade ripening tomatoes. Pick parsley leaves when young for the best flavour.More inspiration for edible container featuresLearn how to grow your own display of edible herbs.Start growing fruit with a strawberry hanging basket.Plant a lavender garden

Alliums are spectacular plants and it's worth saving a few seeds to sow in the spring to grow some more for the garden. The seeds will germinate quickly and reach flowering size in a couple of years.SecateursPaper envelopesSeptember - October20

, daffodils and crocusCreate a spring window box of tulips, thyme and honeysuckleVideo advice on picking tulips,from Sarah RavenHow to deal with tulip virusHow to deal with tulip fireBrowse tulip speciesGrowing tulips - Gardeners' World blog by James Alexander-Sinclair

plants in our video from the Gardeners' World garden at Berryfields.courgettes, outdoor cucumbers, marrows, pumpkins, squashesearly summer Common problems affecting vegetable plantsPotato blightPea and bean weevilsCarrot root fly

of brassicas, with nasturtiums also being attacked.Cover plants with horticultural fleece to prevent butterflies reaching the leaves. Check plants regularly and pick off any caterpillars that do make it through. Spray young caterpillars as they hatch

an attractive form of wildlife, large colonies can strip leaves bare.Shredded leaves caused by an infestation of caterpillars. In some cases, the leaves are completely decimated and the plant can die.Pick them off by hand and dispose of them, keeping a special