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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

Tomato blight, a fungal infection called Phytophthora infestans, spreads by wind and water-splash. It also attacks potatoes, and is triggered by warm, wet conditions, making outdoor tomatoes more susceptible than those in a greenhouse. The crop

Keep harvesting root vegetables as they mature, including parsnips and leeksOrder seed potatoes, onion sets and shallotsStretch netting over brassicas to protect them from pigeonsCover clumps of rhubarb with buckets or terracotta pots to force early

potatoes and shallots as they matureSow swedes and cover with fleece to prevent seedlings being attacked by flea beetleSow seeds of vegetables, including beetroot, cabbage, endive, kohl rabi, lettuce, radish, rocket, spinach and turnips

Spray potatoes and outdoor tomatoes with Bordeaux mixture or similar to prevent blightThin heavy crops of apples, pears and plumsTie in new raspberry canes to support wiresCover brassicas with fine netting to prevent cabbage white butterflies laying

mildewLift early potatoesPick mangetout peas and beansSpray gooseberries to prevent sawfly attackSow an autumn crop of peas before mid-JulyTie in new growth on cordon-trained tomatoes and pinch out sideshoots. Bush varieties can be left to scramble over

Harvest onions sown last autumn for early cropsWater celery regularly in dry weatherBury shoot tips of blackberries and peg them down to raise new plantsPrune out about a quarter of the oldest branches on blackcurrantsSpray potatoes and outdoor

it into growth up to eight weeks early. Top up bird baths with fresh water dailyRecycle your Christmas tree at the local council tipCheck closing dates for any seed catalogue discountsAround the gardenSquash mistletoe berries into apple tree branchesCut down old

Build a compost binStart adding homemade compost to your soil and you'll not only enjoy watching your garden thrive and flourish but you'll also have the satisfaction of seeing your kitchen waste get recycled too. In just five easy steps, we'll show

Lay turfFed up of your untidy, patchy lawn? Get instant results and transform a dull tired area of your garden into a lush, green paradise in five easy steps. Do it now and when the weather warms up you can sit back and enjoy the fruits of your