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Plum trees can be prone to silver leaf disease if pruned in winter, so cut them back in summer to encourage the development of bushy growth, which stops them becoming too large and unmanageable. Plum treeSecateurs June - July 20 minutesUse secateurs to cut back this season's grow...

Virtually wingless, female winter moths hatch in November, then crawl up fruit trees to mate with male moths. The eggs that are laid hatch into leaf-eating caterpillars in spring. Trap female moths before they climb to mate, by attaching a grease band to trees.Grease bandScissors...

. Also, I recommend warming areas of your plot with cloches or polythene for a few days before sowing - it makes an amazing difference to germination.Most of the plants in my garden will benefit from a good feed during spring. Not just young plants

Once apple trees are established it's best to summer prune the spur-fruiting varieties. This will encourage the development of short flowering shoots or 'spurs' that go on to bear clusters of fruit. Summer pruning is ideal for keeping the trees in shape and involves pruning the s...

Plenty of salad crops can grow outside in winter, if given a little protection. In early autumn, the soil is still warm enough to sow seeds direct, while plug plants or seedlings planted out will establish quickly.Choose hardy varieties of your favourite salad leaves, or experime...

You can never have enough lettuce in summer, but sowing directly into the soil takes up valuable space in the garden. Keep a regular supply growing by sowing seeds in lengths of plastic guttering: short, 1m lengths are convenient and easy to handle. Fill with moist multipurpose c...

Tomatoes are easy to grow from seed and should germinate within two weeks. Compact cherry varieties can be grown in pots and hanging baskets, while larger, cordon types are more suited to being raised in the ground or in growing bags. Tomato seedsSeed compostPlastic potsVermiculi...

Plants are able to make their own food by capturing the energy from sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into sugar. But in order to stay healthy and give the best results they take additional nutrients out of the soil or compost, so it's important to provide them with su...

Rocket is best sown between March and September but even late sowings can produce a good crop of spicy, peppery leaves for salads. Keep nipping off the rocket leaves and it will provide rich pickings for weeks, and ensure a continual supply by making successive sowings throughout...

I don’t like waste, so digging dandelions from the lawn last week got me thinking about the value of weeds. Dandelions are hardly the master of disguise, revealing their position in the lawn with brilliant yellow flowers. I used a long-bladed, old knife to loosen the roots of eac...