January

Look through seed catalogues and plan and choose varieties, many can be sown in January. Clean old seed trays, pots & propagators and buy new ones if necessary. Buy seed potatoes, but store them away from frost. If you haven’t grown them before – try a patio potato planter with a few first earlies. Summer […]

February

Buy & start chitting seed potatoes in a bright, frost-free place to encourage them to produce shoots. Use a soil thermometer to check soil temperature. Seeds are unlikely to germinate until soil reaches 7-10°c and will only rot or get eaten by birds or vermin. Buy shallots, onion sets, garlic, asparagus & rhubarb, for planting […]

March

Apply potato fertiliser before planting seed potatoes. Sow early lettuces, carrots and other vegetable seeds outside, but they may require protection with cloches or tunnels. Early planting of onion sets and shallots will lengthen the growing season resulting in larger individual bulbs. Garlic and rhubarb can also be planted now. As new shoots of perennials […]

April

Keep dead-heading primroses, polyanthus and pansies to prolong their flowering throughout April. Protect fruit tree blossom and other tender shoots by using fleece on cold nights. You can sow a good range of vegetable seeds outside now including beetroot, cabbages, lettuce, radishes and spinach as long as the soil is warm. Use feed, weed & […]

May

When planting summer containers & baskets in May, add water retaining gel crystals to ensure compost stays moist and slow-release fertiliser to encourage strong growth. Keep your hanging baskets and containers in the greenhouse to develop before moving them outside once there is no likelihood of frosts. If your roses were troubled by blackspot last […]

June

Remember to water hanging baskets and containers daily in June’s hot weather and feed with a high potash fertiliser such as tomorite once a week. Dead-head regularly to encourage more flowers. When planting summer containers and baskets add water- retaining gel crystals to ensure compost stays moist and slow release fertiliser to encourage strong growth. […]

July

Keep feeding bedding plants, hanging baskets and containers weekly throughout July with a high potash fertiliser such as Tomorite. Dead-head all flowering plants as soon as flowers fade to stop them setting seed and to promote more flowers. Remove faded blooms on repeat-flowering varieties of roses to encourage further flowers in late summer. Train leading […]

August

Dead-head basket and bedding plants regularly throughout August, as leaving them to set seed can stop the plants producing further flowers. Also keep feeding with a high potash fertiliser such as Tomorite. Sow hardy annuals for early flowers next year. Plant specially prepared seed potatoes for harvesting at christmas in large patio pots or potato […]

September

Start planting spring bulbs in September – when choosing remember the larger the bulb the more, bigger, flowers you will get. Water in the morning rather than evening so plants are not sitting in cold water as nights get cooler. Sweet pea seeds can be sown now for stronger plants and earlier flowering next summer. […]

October

Start planting spring bulbs in October – why not choose different varieties of daffodils so you have a succession of flowers from February through to May? Plant out pansies and violas for autumn and winter colour and wallflowers and sweet williams for spring flowering. Sow broad bean seeds for early pickings next May and June, try […]

November

Insulate greenhouses using bubblewrap & move tender pot-grown plants inside for November. Check greenhouse heaters are working. Use fleece & fleece bags to protect tender plants against frosts. Use winter-flowering pansies, violas & hardy cyclamen to brighten up gaps in the garden. Collect up leaves from around plants in borders & then compost them. Beware: […]

December

Use fleece & fleece bags to protect tender plants against December frosts. Look through catalogues and plan and choose varieties of seeds and seed potatoes for sowing in the New Year. Position poinsettias in a bright position away from draughts & heaters & insert a slow release feed capsule into soil which will supply necessary nutrients […]