Innholdsfortegnelse for 14-Jan-2017 i Amateur Gardening

I MUST reduce the number of plants I grow in pots. It’s not just the expense of fresh compost each year (I get through around eight 100litre bails), or the watering and feeding commitment nightly through summer – not to mention the problems of pot care when I go on holiday. No, my present predicament is a cumulative one. At the end of each year I keep some of the used compost, refresh it with well rotted manure, garden compost and fertiliser, and use it to pot up shrubs and other large, established plants. Great care needs to be taken because I have serious problems with vine weevil. Nowadays before I reuse any potting compost, I treat it to kill vine weevil in the autumn. However reused compost is not…

1 Fill deep pots – these ones break down in the soil – to within 1in (2.5cm) of the top with seed compost. 2 Water well, let the pots drain, then place 2 seeds on the compost, and cover them with 1in (2.5cm) compost. 3 Cover with a clear lid, plastic sheet, or cling film, and remove it when most of the seeds have germinated. 4 Place the pots somewhere light and warm. After germination harden-off & move to a cold frame.…

IT is hard to work on beds and borders at this time of year, because of frozen or saturated soil. But on drier, milder days, it is still worth getting out and doing a quick health check on areas where perennials and bedding are planted. Keep up with the weeding, and clear away storm-blown debris that may rot, and can host pests. If you have any attractive perennial flower stems still standing, cut them back if they are tatty, as damaged material can be an entry point for disease. Leave the top growth of penstemons, however, as it helps protect the crown of the plant in cold weather . Winter can have prolonged dry spells, and if this happens, water anything that has recently been planted (check pots, too). Add…

• It will soon be time to start sowing early crops, and for the best results you should start warming the soil now. • Do so when the soil is neither frozen nor waterlogged, but it should be damp, so allow winter rains onto your planting site before starting. • Weed the area you want to cover, and dig in well-rotted compost or manure, then cover it with fleece, clear plastic, or black plastic. • Make sure that the material you use is held down, by pegging its edges, or anchored it with bricks, to stop it blowing away in winter winds. • Ideally, cover the soil at least six weeks before you want to start sowing. • Clay soils hold onto the cold because they retain water for so…

OUR Swiss Cheese plant belonged to my late mother-in-law and has been in John’s family for fifty years or more, which highlights the robust nature of Monstera deliciosa. I have been the custodian and third owner of this plant for the last fifteen years and enjoy watching it thrive in our sitting room. A large pot of compost, medium light, occasional liquid feeds and normal room temperatures has encouraged not only massive leaves, up to 24in (60cm) across adorned with 27 holes, but numerous aerial roots. They tangle around an old cane table behind a sofa, discouraging cleaning and gathering webs and woodlice, so I decided to give the plant and its environment some attention. Twice since I’ve had it, the plant has been pruned hard and the tip rooted…

Raspberry’ Ruby Beauty’ • Early summer crops – pick from June • An impressive 1.5kg of fruit per plant • Easier to protect from bird attack A new concept for growing raspberries! These compact dwarf raspberry canes reach just 1m (3’) high, making them perfect for large patio containers and smaller gardens. Thornless stems and a short stature make picking quick and easy, too. Being low to the ground they can be netted with ease to protect the crops from greedy birds and the sturdy stems won’t need supporting either - perfect for the low maintenance garden. Height: 100cm. Spread: 50cm. • One 9cm potted plant £9.99 • Three 9cm potted plants (RRP £29.97) just pay £19.99- SAVE £9.98! • SUPER SAVER- Dwarf Raspberry Patio Collection: one 9cm potted plant,…

1 Force established clumps of rhubarb where they grow in the soil, or dig them up and move to a warmer shed. For the latter, Lift, divide and leave clumps on the soil to get frosted first. 2 Either pot up divisions in large tubs and put them in a shed in total darkness, or force clumps still in the soil with a forcing pot or large upturned tub placed over the crown. 3 Water clumps in tubs; pop slug pellets around those outdoors. Within a few weeks fresh pink shoots will burst from the crowns. Harvest each shoot at around 1ft (30cm) tall.…

“You can add herbs to almost any savoury dish” THERE’S recently been claims that some fruit or vegetable is a super-food that’ll make you super-healthy. This really is just clever marketing. All foods are exceptionally rich in some nutrient or the other, but then often lacking something else in proportion. There’s no single food that is going to supply all your needs, each and every one has a mixture of nutrients and I doubt any is complete (except perhaps mother’s milk). Anyway, I reckon most of us could easily improve our diets simply by eating lots more different things. If we only eat the same old foods then we may easily miss some vitamin or other important nutrient that our selection does not contain. If we add in several different…

• NGS Gardens to Visit 2017: A guide to over 3,800 gardens opening in aid of the NGS during 2017. £11.99 including p&p. Order at ngs.org.uk January 14 – March 5: RHS Garden Wisley, Woking GU23 6QB Step into the glasshouse as it transforms into a home to more than 6,000 free-flying butterflies. Normal garden admission. 0845 260 9000 or visit rhs.org.uk January 17: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AB. ‘Meet the Experts’ guided tour focussing on holly and ivy. 11.30am 02083 325655 kew.org January 17-18: High Garden, Chiverstone Lane, Kenton, Devon EX6 8NJ. Open 9am-5pm in aid of various charities. Wide-ranging planting, including a winter garden. 01626 899106 highgardennurserykenton.wordpress.com Worldwide Garden Tours have six trips that visit some of the most private gardens in Spain. For further…

WHAT’S your New Year’s resolution? Mine is not to join a gym! For Christmas, my son gave me a pedometer. I clipped it to my belt and headed out for a full day in the garden. After about six hours of gardening I had taken over 8,000 paces, which we think works out to about 4 miles (don’t quote us on it!). To use your garden for fitness I recommend a healthy breakfast and a warm up before any strenuous work. Build up to a heavy job, taking short breaks every so often. The best exercise I do for stomach muscles is sweeping and raking. Pushing the wheelbarrow up and down the garden fully loaded with weeds and pruning’s is great for your arms. Gardening is so good for you…

Rose planting and aftercare Q I’ve bought some bare-root roses. How do I plant and care for them? Ian Woodbridge, Burton-upon-Trent A Soil preparation is important. Mix in plenty of well-rotted garden compost or manure. Roses appreciate moisture-retentive soils that are well-drained. Choose a sunny position where there is little competition from trees or large shrubs. Before planting, ensure the bare-root roses are hydrated by soaking roots and stems in a bucket of water overnight. Do not allow this water to freeze. Before planting, cut off any damaged tips, stems or roots. The roses will need to be planted 1.5-2ft (45-60cm) apart, depending on how large the plants will eventually grow. The planting hole should be a little bit deeper than the root system. Place the plant in the hole…

Fork and spade – avoid anything too large as this will hurt your back. Trowel and hand fork – useful for transplanting veg and removing larger perennial weeds. Sharp knife – handy for harvesting Long hosepipe and hand-held lance – allows you to easily irrigate your vegetables. Garden rake – for creating seedbeds and removing stones. Hoe – for making seed drills and removing weed seedlings. Pots, seed trays, labels and compost – if you have a greenhouse, conservatory or similar it’s easy to grow your veg from seed. Insect-proof mesh – an easy, chemical-free way to protect your crops from flying pests. Slug pellets – you can buy organic products based on ferric phosphate to scatter around vulnerable young plants. String line or plank of wood – make perfectly…

IT’S best to prevent pests and diseases – or fend them off – before they take hold. Slugs, blackfly, whitefly, pigeons, red spider mite, mildew, rust are some of the main culprits. Find out what is likely to attack your crops and the type of damage that it will cause. Look after your crops well – if a plant is stressed it will be more vulnerable to attack. Plant umbellifer flowers like angelica, Ammi majus and fennel to encourage natural predators like ladybirds and lacewings.…

AFTER a morning working in the garden, there’s only one thing on your mind and that’s a well-earned cuppa. But before stepping inside, wet or muddy boots or shoes need to come off and the first line of defence to save your floors is a decent outdoor mat. If you don’t have a sheltered doorway, think about a mat that’s weather resistant. We tested ones made of materials ranging from AstroTurf to seagrass and jute. Also, make sure the thickness and size fits in with your door. For heavy, dirty, foot traffic, a textured mat made of rubber or coir bristles provides an abrasive surface for a rapid clean up, ideal for all-weather gardeners. In some cases, we found that mud was swallowed up and virtually disappeared into grooves or…

POMPOM yellow mimosa flowers are produced on this evergreen tree against a backdrop of feathery foliage. In spring, the scented, nectar-rich blooms provide a valuable source of food for bees and other insects. In mild parts of the UK, Acacia dealbata can be grown outdoors, making a brilliant specimen for sheltered borders. In frost-prone areas grow acacia in containers, and move them to a frost-free position in winter. Height: Up to 26ft (8m). Spread: Up to 16ft (5m). • Buy one potted plant for £14.99 • Buy two potted plants for £19.99 – SAVE £9.99 How to order: Cardholders call direct on 0844 573 2021 quoting AG764Z. The order lines are open seven days a week, 9am to 8pm (Mon-Fri) 9am to 6pm (Weekends) (voicemail at other times). Alternatively please…

• Wait until spring before planting outdoors, so new plants can put down roots when the weather is improving and warming. • Water plants during dry spells in the first year while establishing. • Protect young trees using fleece through their first couple of winters, as they’ll toughen up as they grow older. • Should you decide to grow your mimosa as a multi-stemmed shrub, let it establish, then cut it close to the ground in its second spring. Continue to protect the new growth for two years.…

“In winter the fragrance was fine and fruity” AS I stepped out of the car, my family and I were met with the delicious aroma of a flowering currant. Although deciduous and bare as pebble, the branches filled the air with a perfume I’d describe as being like warm Ribena crossed with candy twist. It’s a scent I relish, reminding me of happy times spent in our rented house in Cambridge where there was a Ribes thicket as broad as a bouncer that regularly blocked the entrance to the front door. In winter the fragrance was particularly fine and fruity, contrasting perfectly with the earthy smell of cold borders. “What a stench!” said my sister-in-law Jo, covering her mouth with her scarf. “Imagine having a house that’s used by the…

“Sowing in stages produces a longer flowering season” WHEN everything is dull and flat in January, it’s good to have something to look forward to, such as a wonderful show of flowers in a few months’ time. I love sweet peas, and sowed an early batch back in October. They have germinated well, and are sitting out the winter in a cold frame, waiting for the warmer weather so they can start to grow again. Hopefully by the time I plant them out, they will have developed into strong plants that will grow away robustly, and produce a wonderfully scented show of colour. You can sow sweet peas any time between October and April, and if you have already got one lot on the go, this is a good time…

GARDEN centres are now crammed with seed packets, even though it’s only January. Many gardeners don’t start sowing tender varieties until Easter, but the process can begin early, if some warmth and extra care is given. A propagator is essential. They help to warm the compost, retain moisture and raise humidity, all of which contribute to successful germination. Position unheated propagators on a warm, bright windowsill indoors. Electrically heated versions offer more control of temperature. This week I’m focusing on the pros and cons of basic propagators that are easy to make or buy, and won’t cost you a fortune. Early sowings can be at risk of damping off – a disease that causes young seedlings to collapse and die. The loss of Cheshunt Compound and Bayer’s Fruit and Vegetable…

BARE root plants are economic and easy to plant, but their window of availability is between November and the end of February, so this is your last chance to place your orders. Bare root trees and shrubs are young plants 1-2 years old. They are usually single stems, around 39in (1m) tall, and are known as ‘whips’. Although they will take a couple of years to thicken up, they are cheap to buy, and reputable suppliers will give you full instructions and planting and care tips. The first thing to do when the plants arrive is to check the roots are healthy. If you are going to plant them within 48 hours, store the plants somewhere dark and cool, their roots wrapped in damp plastic or newspaper. If you can’t…

• Peach leaf curl is a fungal disease that affects nectarine, almond, and apricot trees, as well as peaches. • It shows itself as badly distorted leaves, that often turn red, followed by a white coating of spores. Leaves soon fall, and the tree loses vigour. • Branches and fruits are also occasionally attacked, and there is currently no chemical control for the problem. • Last week we looked at how you can help protect trees trained against fences and walls with sheets of plastic put in place before leaf buds break, and left until mid-May. • However, this is not always a practical or desirable solution, as the plastic sheeting can be unwieldy to use, and may damage the tree – and certainly make a lot of noise –…

OVER the years, the holes (or fenestration) have caused much conjecture. Do they allow more rain to penetrate to the roots, resist high winds, or help with cooling? Perhaps all three but recent research at Indiana University suggests the holes have evolved to catch the unpredictable shafts of light flickering through the forest. A young cheese plant close to the forest floor starts with solid leaves and only produces larger, holed blades higher up. Held out from the tree, the holes enable the leaves to be larger and more likely to catch a ray than smaller, solid leaves. Indoors, the holes only develop on leaves of mature plants in good light.…

I HAVE to admit, if you looked at this clump of rhubarb now, you might not feel inspired to push it into growth, so let me help you along. Imagine tucking into tender, candy-pink rhubarb stems, gently poached with crystallised ginger alongside Greek yoghurt with honey and warm shortbread biscuits. Hopefully that should have done the trick! I love the vibrancy of forced rhubarb in the murkiness of winter. It’s a real shot in the arm and reminds us that, despite appearances, our plot is still alive and kicking. Forcing rhubarb starts now and results in less sour, more tender stems. By bringing it on in this wayyou’ll also be able to make harvests around a month earlier than plants left to their own devices. Here’s how to do it:…

1 Make a plan of your veg plot, with what’s going where and check you have the seeds or sets ready. 2 Now’s an excellent time to get hens as they’ll settle down and soon come into lay with lengthening days. 3 On a wet day have a tool sharpening session. Get every edge razor sharp and ready, and oil dry wood. 4 Suspend fat balls, nuts and feeders over roses. Tits awaiting their turn will clear aphid eggs from the bushes.…

ONE of the most impressive shrubs in our garden is Acer negundo ‘Flamingo’, which offers variegated spring and summer foliage that has a delicate appearance thanks to its salmon-pink markings. As it grows to about 16ft (5m) I would also recommend it as a small tree for a small garden. However, we keep it well pruned so that it remains as a shrub in a mixed border. It tends to shoot from the base so if growing as a tree do keep an eye on that and remove basal shoots regularly. To ensure that we get the best show of variegated foliage, we prune it back hard in the dormant season. As with willows it is ‘pollarded’ in order to encourage a dense head of foliage in spring. This pruning…

BOX blight has devastated Longmeadow, Monty Don’s Herefordshire garden and home of BBC2 series Gardeners’ World. With the series off-air for winter, Monty revealed that much of his carefully-manicured box topiary was heading for the bonfire. Battle lost Writing in the Daily Mail’s Weekend magazine, Gardeners’ World presenter Monty (left) said: “My box plants are increasingly looking devastated. It seems that the battle with blight has been lost. “So we are biting the bullet and taking out and burning a lot of box plants, including 64 box balls that have taken a quarter of a century to grow, and about a quarter of a mile of box hedging. It is a disaster of sorts.” Last year, the Royal Horticultural Society rated box blight as number two in its top 10…

In containers Sweet box makes an excellent container plant and a well-drained container filled with John Innes Number 3 compost is ideal. Site it in a little shade and, until the foliage reaches the edge of the pot, for summer you can plant white impatiens round the edge and for winter white violas, Alternatively, partner with a scrambling perennial such as Clematis integrifolia for summer colour. Having said all that, for many years my mum grew a descendant of that Kew plant in a container in full sun and sometimes forgot to water it – and it still flowered happily every winter, though it did look a little pale. Try an occasional liquid feed. Dry shade Sweet box is an excellent candidate for dry shade. Like many dry shade successes,…

• Keep roses well-watered in their first year, including during winter dry spells. Moist soil is necessary to allow roots to grow down, which leads to better drought-tolerance and improved growth. • Adding mycorrhiza makes a difference to the growth of roses. Available from garden centres, it’s usually a powder or granules that you sprinkle over roots when placed in the planting hole. • Dead-head roses as flowers fade, removing just the dead flower. Or cut the faded flower stem down to the first full leaf. This diverts energy back into the plant and ensures a continuity of blooms.…

3 for sun Tomatoes – these heat-loving plants don’t necessarily need a greenhouse to do well. Provide them with a south- or west-facing wall for maximum sunlight. Garlic – this tasty bulb loves full sun and free-draining soil. Cloves can be planted in autumn or spring. Just remember to keep them weed-free for the best yields. Courgettes – one of the most productive crops in the vegetable garden, alongside its relatives, pumpkins and squashes. Responds well to generous watering and feeding. 3 for shade Spinach – you’ve got annual or perpetual spinach to choose from, and New Zealand if you like! All three, as well as Swiss chard, are lustrous and leafy in shady spots. Salad leaves – again, the lush, leafy nature of these…

• Vertical planters are an excellent way to make the most of bare walls. Choose from inexpensive fabric pouches or specially constructed modular units. Ideal for herbs and salad leaves, creating a tapestry of colour. • Using a mixture of pots that are different heights and made from various materials will create an exciting and bold display. Be creative – old chests of drawers, old saucepans, leaky wellies and even underwear make a talking point! • Choose heritage vegetables when you’re browsing the catalogues. Not only will you be helping to conserve them, they often come in vivid, bold colours. Orange aubergines, purple carrots or chocolate-brown chillies anyone? • Mixing flowers into your veg garden will not only help to confuse and distract pests, it will also bring in valuable…

Peru VIP Wooden Lounger £99.99 for pack of 2 0345 077 8888 homebase.co.uk  for store finder Two of you can sit back and relax in this pair of chairs made from sustainably-sourced eucalyptus wood. Wooden slats are suspended on polyester straps that adjust to your body shape to keep you comfy, and the head cushion is included. Some assembly is required. Compact 47cm Barbecue £79.99 RRP 0203 630 1500 weberbbq.co.uk  for stockists Small enough for easy storage but big enough to cook up a storm, this traditional charcoal-burning barbecue is essential kit for summer afternoons or evening entertaining. The body is rust and chip resistant, the cooking plate is triple plated for longevity, and an ash pan stops hot ashes burning your lawn. Includes a charcoal measuring cup so you…

• Use 50:50 soil-based and soilless ericaceous compost, mixed 4 parts to 1 with sharp potting grit. Feed annually in spring with a slow-release tree and shrub fertiliser for acid-loving plants. • Pot-on gradually to a large container. Should plants deteriorate in their final pot size, re-pot by shaving up to 2in (5cm) of old root from the outside of the congested rootball and pot back into the same (cleaned) container. • Plants will do best stood outside for the summer, which also makes room for tomatoes and other crops inside. Use a sack truck and helper to move large containers. • An unheated greenhouse will be adequate but wrap the pot sides with bubble polythene and the top with fleece during freezing spells. • Water sparingly during winter, choosing…

All fired up! I THOUGHT I’d share my latest garden feature with my fellow AG readers. I bought this fire surround at a local car boot for £30, and after giving it a bit of attention with a wire brush and some paint, I thought it’d make an unusual garden feature. After a few weeks when the cooler weather arrived I thought, why not have a fire to go with it. I’ve been delighted with the result and really appreciated the warmth it provides which extended the time my wife and I could spend in the garden. I’ve also added some timed outdoor lights behind the grate, which give a lovely effect in the evening when the fire isn’t lit. In the background is a bird table I made using…

1 Soaking in warm water is one way of helping sweet pea seeds germinate, but it can also make them more likely to rot. 2 Sweet peas grow substantial rootballs and long tap roots, so always use deep pots or root trainers when sowing seeds. 3 Pinch out sweet pea seedlings just above the first set of proper leaves, to stop them becoming weak and spindly. 4 Make sure enough air is circulating around seedlings to prevent them falling prey to mould and fungal problems. 5 Wait until the weather is warmer to sow direct, as seeds are likely to rot in situ in cold, wet soil, or be eaten by pests.…

1 Freezer bag: The simplest DIY option. Place a plant stick in the centre and pull a freezer bag over the top. Secure using an elastic band or a piece of string. 2 Recycled: Big juice bottles cut in half or old food packaging works a treat. Ideal for small pots of individually sown seeds, such as tomatoes and marigolds. 3 Cheap ‘n’ cheerful: At around a quid, these flimsy plastic lids are cheap. But they have no ventilation and can go cloudy and brittle if stored in sunlight. 4 Windowsill: Excellent solution when space is at a premium. Remove from windowsills on cold nights when curtains are closed as temperatures can plunge. 5 Unheated: Rigid plastic propagators last longer. More interior space helps to avoid sudden changes in temperature…

I LOVE homegrown veggies, but what I really crave at this time of year are tomatoes plucked straight from the vine, and fresh, vibrant salad leaves. Shop-bought salads just don’t taste the same, so as part of my New Year health kick I have decided to sow some windowsill leaves to pep up my sandwiches. It is so easy – put multipurpose compost in a seed tray, dampen it, sprinkle seeds on top about 1/2in (1cm) apart, and cover with a dusting of compost/vermiculite. Cover the tray with a lid or layer of cling film, and make sure you remove it when the seeds start to germinate. Alternatively, buy tape impregnated with seeds. Cut it to size, lay it on the tray in strips close together, water, and cover with…

“We have a range of systems to hold plants in a vertical plane” NO one has a monopoly on ideas and it is interesting to see how the way we garden changes with innovation. Container production of plants started out in recycled tin cans, moved on to bitumen impregnated fibre board, then thick black polythene bag pots to the present day rigid plastic types, which in turn allows machine filling and robotic handling. A similar pattern of development can now be seen in systems to clad walls with plants. Here several areas of innovation are helping – we have a range of systems to hold plants in a vertical plane, new cultivars with colourful foliage for year round decoration and (perhaps most important of all) automatic irrigation systems. Not too…

1 Aerial roots travel over the carpet for 16ft (5m) turning a bit of our sitting room into jungle. I’ll thin out some roots and vacuum between the rest. 2 Old leaves have a few scale insects on them. I wipe infected leaves with a solution of SB Plant Invigorator. The rest are wiped clean with water. 3 Damaged aerial roots or those in the way are trimmed, but I don’t remove too many, as I’m sure they absorb some moisture and nutrients. 4 One or two roots were guided towards the compost in the hope they’ll grow in. A topping of fresh potting compost will help them along.…

RED, pink, white or black – these punchy little fruits are packed with flavour and incredibly easy to grow. I’ve got plenty in the freezer for ice cream-staining compotes, but I want a pinkcurrant to join my two reds and one black. Now, while they’re dormant, is the ideal time to purchase and plant – and the process is incredibly simple. Unlike fruit trees, there are no pollination groups or rootstocks for currants. All are sold on their own roots and are self-fertile, so just one bush will set its own crop. One plant will also give surprisingly large harvests once established – around 10lb per bush – so don’t feel the need to purchase more than a couple of each type. Gluts do freeze incredibly well, though, should you…

THE greenfinch is one of the loveliest of garden birds. Roughly the same size as a house sparrow, and with a wheezing, twittering kind of song, it’s more yellow-green than pure green and has a yellow edge to the wings and tail. The females are less brightly coloured than the males, and a bit smaller. Greenfinches are regular garden visitors, nesting deep into conifers and hedges. In the countryside they’re also found in woods, hedgerows, orchards and farmland close to people. In urban areas it’s town gardens and parks. They can be seen all year round in most of the UK, but tend to visit the north of Scotland only during the summer months. Seeds and insects, when available naturally, are the main diet for greenfinches, and they adore black…

WE are still munching our way through the apples harvested in autumn. They are stored in our cellar and every so often I pick out the rotten ones in the hope they will all last for a few more weeks. The trick to successful storage is to leave apples on the trees as long as possible before storing them in a cool place. Now is the time to plant apple trees and I would highly recommend opting for an apple that stores well. Here’s my pick of the best apples for storing: • ‘Idared’ – juicy eating apple with a colourful skin. It will store for up to six months if kept cool. • ‘Fuji’ – a late cropping apple that keeps for up to four months. A crisp apple…

Sarcococca confusa Suckering slowly but steadily, fresh green foliage hides highly fragrant white flowers. Back in November the buds were ready to burst and the plants were still laden with berries. H31in (80cm). Sarcococca hookeriana Shorter than S. confusa, it’s flowers are less hidden among the slender elegant leaves. ‘Purple Stem’ has purple stems and midribs; ‘Ghorepani’ has red-tinted flowers. H23in (60cm). Sarcococca orientalis Vigorous, but short, with pretty pink flowers, which are often at their peak before other species. Rather like a shorter, pinkish S. confusa but is less tolerant of dry shade. H17in (45cm). Sarcococca ‘Dragon Gate’ Like a shorter, less vigorous version of S. confusa but with darker and smaller and more slender leaves - so revealing the creamy flowers more effectively - and red berries. H17in…

• Start small: a 3ft x 6ft (1x3m) bed and a few pots is plenty to begin with. You’ll feel encouraged if you have success with a small patch, and you can always expand the patch the following year. • Make paths wide enough for wheelbarrows to easily pass down. Beds should be easily accessible from pathways so that you avoid walking on the soil. A 4ft (1.2m) width is recommended for beds. • Soil health is important. Compacted areas are OK for pathways but not for your vegetables’ roots. Fork over beds to make the soil light and fluffy before sowing or planting. Put in raised beds on heavy soils. • Most veg are happy in soil with a relatively neutral pH. Check whether yours is too acidic or…

All veg are suitable for containers, so don’t fret if you don’t have much space. Use good quality, soil-based compost like John Innes No3. Reserve vigorous crops like courgettes and Swiss chard for your largest pots. Thick-walled and glazed tubs need the least watering. Smaller salad crops can be grown in the tiniest of spaces as long as you water them well. Choose compact varieties like courgette ‘Royal Flush’, tomato ‘Cherry Cascade’ and runner bean ‘Hestia’.…