Job of the week

Sow seeds indoors

Growing from seed is a simple and economical way of raising new plants for your garden. While many plants are hardy enough to grow outdoors, they'll benefit from being sown indoors to give them a head start. Sowing indoors is also useful for extending the growing season of tender bedding plants and vegetables.
Takes just 30 minutes to sow and 30 minutes to pot on

Flowers

  • Sow sweet peas in pots, and pinch out shoot tips
  • Cut old stems of mallow (Lavatera) to ground level
  • Plant hedging plants

Fruit & veg

  • Cover rhubarb with an old bucket to exclude light
  • Prune gooseberry bushes to open up the centre
  • Chit seed potatoes in trays in a bright, frost-free position

Greenhouse

  • Place potted-up dahlia tubers in a heated propagator
  • Start raising crops from seed
  • Prevent seedlings suffering damping-off disease

Around the garden

  • Plant colourful Phormium 'Cream Delight' in a patio pot
  • Take care not to walk over borders or on lawns
  • Order young plants from mail-order companies