Job of the week

Maintain a lawn mower

With just a few regular checks you can get the most from your petrol mower and reduce the time it takes to maintain a beautiful lawn. Simply spend a couple of minutes every month looking over your mower to keep it in peak condition - and you'll also save yourself some pennies when it comes to the annual service.
Takes just 15 minutes

Flowers

  • Prune out old stems of elder (Sambucus)
  • Cut back last year's buddleia stems to ground level
  • Hard prune trees that respond to pollarding

Fruit & veg

  • Plant onion sets in modular trays of compost
  • Repair netting on fruit cages
  • Continue forcing sea kale and chicory

Greenhouse

  • Plant strawberry runners in hanging baskets
  • Order seedlings and bedding plants from suppliers
  • Sow dwarf French beans in a large pot

Around the garden

  • Mow lawns and trim new edges
  • Dig compost into borders to improve water retention
  • Add copper rings to pots to protect plants from slugs and snails