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Improve your soilPlants need good soil conditions if they are to give the best results. Improving the soil with plenty of organic matter in the form of compost helps drainage and aeration on heavy soils and conserves essential moisture on light ones

The warmth of spring and summer allows you to sow vegetable seeds outdoors in the soil. Here they'll quickly germinate to produce crops to enjoy this season. Try easy-to-grow salads such as radish, spring onion and salad bowl lettuce. You can also

Carol Klein explains how to create the optimum soil conditions for growing camellias.With hints on environmentally friendly, acidic soil conditioners and guidance on spotting garden pest and signs of ill health, Carol offers a comprehensive guide

How to plant a shrubVideo advice on planting a roseChoose the right plants for your soilHow to improve your soilFeature on soil types and soil testing

A traditional structure for the storage of vegetables. A clamp consists of a pile of the vegetables, layered with straw and soil to protect it from frost and rain. Ventilation holes are plugged with loose straw to prevent the build-up of carbon

Any substance, organic or inorganic, used to increase soil nutrients. It can be straight, containing only one nutrient, such as nitrogen; or compound, containing more than one nutrient; or balanced, containing equal quantities of plant nutrients.

The result of a chemical process by which nitrogen in plant and animal waste is oxidised by soil bacteria. It first changes into nitrites, then into nitrates, which can be absorbed by plant roots. Nitrate of soda is an alkaline fertiliser that

The transplanting of seedlings from the seedbeds in which they were sown, to new containers. The term is derived from the old practice of pricking small holes in the soil in preparation for the planting of the young seedlings.

A general term for a number of fungal diseases, which are normally soil-borne, but also aerially transmitted. It affects a large range of plants, but commonly cereal cops. May cause damping off and blight, but can be controlled using fungicide.

1) The dry, rocky detritus found at the base of mountains.2) A mixture of stones and sharp sand, which, when mixed with soil, forms a growing medium for alpines and other plants requiring good drainage.