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, covered with a sheet of glass and a layer of paper.Remove the glass once seedlings develop - these will be large enough to prick out by next spring.Next spring, gently tease out individual cacti, and plant out in a tray of gritty compost. Water well

are formed of segments (e.g. prickly pears, Christmas cacti), always remove whole segments as cuttings – don’t split segments in half.Succulents that form clumps, such as aloes, haworthias and agaves, should be divided by simply taking the plant out of its

– and that means pricking out time.I move my seedlings into 7.5cm pots of peat-free multi-purpose compost. I have two unbreakable rules for pricking out: first, water your seed tray half an hour before, so the roots come free without breaking. And second, only ever

of our trees find themselves right now. Trees in bud.I thought of it after my wife pointed out how extraordinary the buds of the ash tree looked. She is right that they are initially charcoal grey and then open into strange purplish flowers like miniature

and scented sweet pea. The list goes on.Hardy annual seed can be sown directly into your garden borders where they will flower - no messing round with pots, seed trays or pricking out. Just sow where you want colour, and leave them to it (well, a little bit

Queen' and 'Mayan Twilight'Bush tomatoes are easier to grow than cordon varieties, as they don't need supporting, and their side shoots do not require pricking out. 'Maskotka' is a compact trailing bush variety, which can be grown in a small container

on the best vegetables to grow for beginners.How to... grow fruit and vegetablesAlys Fowler has picked out her top ten vegetables for beginners to grow. These plants require minimum maintenance, suffer from few pests and diseasesand will produce a decent yield

seed – they need to be bought fresh each season.Save part-used packets of seedSow sparingly to make a packet of seeds go further. It also saves a lot of thinning out for direct-sown seeds, and means easier pricking-out when you sow in pots. Mix small