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In order to get the best out of your garden plants and crops, it’s worth testing your soil pH. In the UK this ranges from 3.5 (strongly acid) to 8.5 (strongly alkaline), with 7 being neutral. Most fruit and vegetables prefer soils that have a

by flooding. It’s hard to imagine anything worse happening to your home.Putting up with a wet garden could appear rather trivial in the context of major weather events, but the past few years have highlighted how variable and extreme our weather has become

seeds such as carrots with sand if it helps to sprinkle them thinly.Sow seeds thinly and evenlyGive away or swap surplus veg seedlings among yourselves. This is ideal when each of you wants just a few plants of several varieties. Suggest the gardening

.To grow good veg you need a sheltered site that gets full sun for at least half the day, with deep, fertile, well-drained soil that has been enriched with organic matter. Deep beds – the original no-dig technique – are perfect for small gardens; by working

straight rows) and vinyl gardening gloves, are best kept in reach of a veg patch. Invest in a small garden store to lock them away.Keep tools handySet up water butts to recycle water running off roofs. Use seeper hose or trickle irrigation kits, combined

Happy new year – may 2013 be better for veg growers than its predecessor. I can’t say 2012 was my favourite year, and it was undoubtedly the worst I’ve known on my veg plot.I’m starting January with my customary clear out. I always clean

in the south-west. As well as feeding my young family out of our back garden, I squeeze in as many flowers as I can manage. This year I’m itching to sow the mouth-watering selection of flowers, veg, herbs and salads on offer through the Seed Club. The moment

right away.3. Insulate outside tapNot only must I turn off the stopcock to my garden tap to isolate the water supply (mine is almost hidden behind pipework under the kitchen sink), but I must wrap insulation material round the brass tap itself. Again, I