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plants get the most out of potassium feed.springMore advice on growing tomatoesRead Kate Bradbury's blog on the dos and don'ts of growing tomatoesGrowing tomatoes in pots and grow bagsGrowing tomatoes from seedGrowing tomatoes outsideSowing tomato seeds

and seed trays a thorough scrubbing ready for the start of the sowing season

from shrubs bending under the weightPick faded flowers off pansies to prevent them setting seedCollect and sow seed from garden shrubs and trees with berries

Sow onion seed under cover, and keep warm until germinatedCheck overwintering plants for signs of greenfly and other pests, and treat if necessaryBring potted strawberries under coverDig up clumps of rhubarb to force into growth in darkness under

seed heads to keep them floweringShorten shoots on choisya to encourage a second flush of flowersFeed roses to keep them flowering stronglyPinch out the shoot tips on fuchsias and bedding plants for bushier growthSave seed from foxgloves and sow right

Collect seed from allium seedheads and sow straight away into seed compostPlant evergreen shrubs and conifer hedgesCarefully dig up gladioli corms and overwinter in cool, dry storage conditionsLift and pot up tender perennials to protect over winter

the Guinness World Record of 8.03m (that's over 26ft in old money), but who knows?With thousands of Gardeners' World magazine readers now sowing their free sunflower seeds too I think we'll all have some stiff competition...

as an attempt to standardise compost formulae at a time when nurserymen were bringing a confusion of formulae to the market. The range includes John Innes seed compost, for seed sowing or rooting cuttings; John Innes potting compost No.1 for initial potting

Sow sunflowers outside, directly where you want them to bloomTrim winter-flowering heathers, removing faded flowers and tidying up their shapePick off faded flower heads from hyacinths, to prevent them wasting energy setting seedPlant groups

and rhododendrons, taking care not to damage developing new leavesSow seeds of fast-growing hardy annuals, such as escholzia or poached-egg plant, to fill gaps