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Nothing beats the taste of freshly-picked sweetcorn in late summer and growing your own couldn't be easier. Sow your own seeds or buy young seedlings to plant now and grow them in a block on the veg plot. Or use them decoratively, planting them

. The weed may be introduced as seed, seedlings or as plants in compost when buying new plants from nurseries or garden centres. It may also spread from neighbouring gardens or remain dormant at depth in the soil to be brought to the surface by cultivation

the greenhouse glazing in winter, inside and out. Not only will it look better, but, most importantly, more light will reach the seedlings and plants inside. At this time of year natural light levels tend to be fairly low, and days are still pretty short, so a

around in there for hours among my little forest of seedlings. I've got everything from Ageratum to zinnias coming up - it's going to be a colourful year!I've been struggling a bit with keeping them warm during the night, though. I do keep my greenhouse

or in a heated propagator. Keep compost moist.Remove cover as soon as seedlings emerge and grow on in a warm place indoors. They are ready to be 'pricked' out when the first 'true' leaves emerge.Only handle seedlings by their first seed leaves. Fill a seed

, such as paving. It too, leaves a tell-tale trail of slime at the scene of the crime.Irregular holes chewed in leaves, stems eaten away and the plant collapses, flowerbuds and seedlings eaten, seeds fail to grow having been eaten as soon as they germinated

.The alternative was to sow plants in pots and modular trays in the greenhouse or on window sills.  This allowed plants to be sown at the right time under cover, raising robust young seedlings for planting out later. In fact, regular showers actually helped when

. I’d almost given up when two little seedlings appeared last spring. Sadly, they never flourished. The weather was very dry at the time (remember the drought?) and I took my eye off the ball. I failed my field roses through lack of watering

seeds.Germination rates vary between varieties. Wait until the seedlings are well developed with good roots before pricking out.Handle seedlings by their first leaves to avoid crushing the stem and plant individually into pots of seed compost.By late May

Watch Sarah Raven's step-by-step video guide to growing salad leaves in guttering indoors, to give seedlings a good start before transplanting them outdoors.OctoberMore advice on growing saladRead Pippa Greenwood's blog on growing salad leaves