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and stir-fry leaf crops every 2-3 weeks to ensure a regular supplySow seeds of the following crops outside this week: beetroot, lettuce, watercress, rocket, radish, spring onions, coriander, parsley, chives, carrots, Swedes, turnip, leaf beet, spinach

Collect fruits and berries from cotoneaster and pyracantha, and sow their seedsCheck stored bulbs and tubers for signs of rot Bring potted strawberries into the greenhouse or put in a cold frame to protect from coldWash glazing inside and out to let

Plan your seed-sowing year by organising packets in sowing order in a shoe box or trayTrim lawn edges to keep the area neat and tidy Apply residual path weedkillers to paved and gravel areasLay sheets of black polythene on lawns overnight to bring

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

for early sowingsCarry on sowing seeds in pots or trays in the greenhouse, ready to transplant later, including Brussels sprouts, spring cabbage and onions

Sow seeds of beans, marrows courgettes and squashes, two per pot, and thin out the weakest seedling to leave the strongest plantSpray peaches and nectarines with fungicide to prevent an attack of peach leaf curl Pick rhubarb stems as they develop

Cover soil with cloches to warm it for early sowingsFinish winter pruning fruit trees and soft fruitsCut stems of autumn-fruiting raspberries to soil levelChit seed potatoes, standing them in trays in a light but frost-free positionPlant Jerusalem

next yearHarvest mature marrows, pumpkins and squashesSave fully ripe seeds from your favourite peas, beans and tomatoes to sow next yearPick apples and pears as they ripenSow a green manure crop of winter rye on bare areas of soilOrder fruit trees

Plant canna lilies in pots, and leave in a warm positionSow strawberry seeds, including alpine varietiesVisit garden centres to buy young bedding plants that can be grown on to a larger size under glassCut off dead hippeastrum flowers, but allow

best all year round.Grass seed or turfRakeSpadespring or autumn30 minutesJune - AugustSow the patch with an appropriate seed mix, sprinkling half the grass seeds in one direction and the rest in the other. Lightly rake over the seed and protect