Worthing Allotments

Keep off waterlogged lawns and soil. If the ground is fit, get on with digging.
Plant bare-rooted shrubs and trees, soaking their roots in a bucket of water first.
Prune fruit trees such as apples and pears.
Check that tree ties are not too tight
Lift and divide large clumps of rhubarb.
Cut down the fruited canes of autumn raspberries to the ground.
Feed strawberry plants with sulphate of potash.
Collect up fallen leaves that are smothering alpines, etc.
Start chitting your seed potatoes.
Start off garlic. You can do it in pots if the soil's too cold and wet.
Sow your onion seed if you're after big, show bulbs. Try Ailsa Craig or Bedfordshire Champion.
Check stored crops like onions and potatoes.
Oil your tools and if you have an allotment make sure the plot number is visible.
Finalise you planing/sowing plans and check what seeds to get.

February

Prepare
With the variable weather in February, it is still not the time to get too excited and start sowing everything. Tackle some maintenance tasks. Clean and disinfect your greenhouse, and wash your pots with Citrox solution to avoid infection.
Get that trench started for your runner beans and add raw kitchen waste, compost and wet torn-up newspapers to hold moisture.
You may need to protect fruit bushes and strawberries with horticultural fleece.

Sow
Sow a few onions in pots for an early crop. It is also possible to sow peas in sheltered areas towards the end of February covered by a cloche, but better still sow in modules for planting out next month. Broad beans can also benefit from this approach.
Sow some early lettuce and tomatoes in a propagator to get the seeds off to a good start
Now is the time to 'chit' your potato tubers in a frost free area using a seed tray or egg box.
You can plant shallots and autumn raspberries.

Harvest
Continue harvesting your Brussels sprouts, winter cabbages, parsnips, and leeks. Rub off the sprouting shoots on your stored potatoes or they will become unusable.

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March

Prepare
This is the month when you have to get out of the armchair as there are things to do. However, care must be taken as the ground can still be pretty cold and wet, and it may still be better to wait till April for some jobs.

Sow
Definitely time to plant the Garlic, Onion sets, Shallots, strawberry plants and some early Potatoes at the end of the month (Cover over any shoots in case of frosts). Cucumbers, Tomatoes and Peppers should now be sown in the propagator in order to get a good start.

Harvest
Continue harvesting your Brussels sprouts, cabbages and leeks. Still keep an eye on those stored potatoes (provided you haven't eaten them all of course!)

April

Prepare
This is the month where all hell starts to let loose. It's time to plant and sow! sow! sow!. However, to avoid damping off, disinfect your pots and seed trays and ALWAYS use fresh compost - NOT last year's leftovers.
Unpack any special plants you have ordered by post as soon as they arrive to avoid any deterioration.
Put supports in place for peas.
Feed fruit treese and bushes.
Protect young plants from pigeons with netting.

Sow
Continue to plant the Garlic, Onion sets, Shallots, first early Potatoes, and some second earlies from the middle of the month (Weather and soil permitting).
This is the best month for sowing Beetroot, Carrots and Parsnips. and also all your greens such as Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, summer Cauliflowers, Kale and Spinach.
The bean family ie. Broad beans, French beans, and Runner beans are now best sown end up in pots from mid April and keep frost free. This also applies to your Sweetcorn. Let's not forget the salad crops. Continue to sow your Radishes, Peppers, Celery and Lettuce (or plant out the ones you grew last month!).
Others which can be sowed outside now if conditions are right: artichokes, asparagus, chicory, endive, kohlrabi, calabrese, leeks, parsnip.

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May

Prepare
No time to relax this month, it's still one of the busiest times of the year.
Keep hoeing.
Prepare runner bean supports and framework.
Save kitchen waste for your own compost.
Pot on any sowings of Brussel Sprouts and Cauliflowers you made last month ready for planting when the late frosts have gone. Harden off any Beans you had sown last month.

Sow
Continue to sow Beetroot, Swedes, Parsnips, Turnips and Carrots. There's still time to plant your greens such as Spinach, Winter Cabbage, Winter Cauliflowers and Peas. Late sowings of Leeks, Shallots, Onion sets, Broccoli, French Beans and Runner Beans can also be carried out at this time.
Continue to sow your Radishes, Peppers, Salad Onions and Lettuce and get those courgettes going.
You may have leeks to transplant depending on when you sowed them.

Harvest
You may have some Spring Greens and Cabbage which is hearting up you can pick at this time.

June

Prepare
This is the peak month of activity, as everything should now be under way and early sowings looking good. Make sure your under- cover sowings are hardened off to introduce them to the great outdoors, especially the Runner Beans you had sown earlier (they will soon need encouraging up their supports).
Remove tomato side shoots on cordon varieties.

Sow
Continue to sow Salad Onions, Endive, Lettuce and Radishes, etc. in small rows for a continuous supply. You can still sow your Sweetcorn until the middle of the month.
Transplant your Brussel Sprouts, Winter/Summer Cabbages, Cauliflowers, Leeks, Broccoli, Marrows, Peppers, Pumpkins and Kale.

Harvest
Finish the last of your Spring Cabbage which you may have left. You may be able to harvest some Broad Beans and check your Early Potatoes to see if any can be dug up for an early feast. However, this is mainly the growing season, so you may have to wait a while for the fresh produce to appear.

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July

Sow
Can be sown: carrots, chicory, endives, lettuce, radish, spring cabbage, turnips.
Can be planted out: calabrese, French beans, spinach, winter brassicas.

Tend
Earth up main crop potatoes.
If they are ripe start to lift onions to dry.
Remove leading shhots of runner beans if they have reached the top of their supports.

Water
Pots and hanging baskets at least once a day. In the garden give priority to leafy vegetables, tomatoes, runner beans and peas. Courgettes also need water once the fruit swells.

Prune
Trim Leylandii hedges, about 6inches below required height.
In a dry spell you can prune plums, cutting out dead, diseased and crossing branches.
Wisteria can be pruned now, cutting out long whippy growth formed this year to 5 leaves from the main stem.
Continue to remove side shoots on tomatoes.

Propagate
Most shrubs are worth trying in July. Take cuttings once shoots are flexible enough to bend without breaking.
Propagate pinks from stem cuttings. Pelargonium and fuchsia cuttings can be taken now.

Beware
Aphids, blackspot, cabbage caterpillars, mildew, rust and vine weevils and take appropriate action.

August

Prepare
This is the month when, hopefully, everything is ready to pick. Watering shouldn't be a problem at this time, but you should keep an eye on your French and Runner beans to keep them going to September. Keep an eye out for any blight on your Potatoes.

Sow
You could sow some Spinach, Swiss Chard and Parsley for overwintering. Continue to sow Salad Onions in short rows for harvesting later. Also sow some winter varieties of your Radishes and Lettuce.

Harvest
There should be loads of luscious Beans, Beetroot, Carrots, Early Potatoes, Sweetcorn and lots of Salad crops.
Onions should be ready to lift, dry and store.

AUGUST CHECKLIST

Flower garden

Continue to water plants in containers. Pots are often in the 'rain shadow' of a house or their foliage acts as an umbrella so they can dry out easily even if it has been raining
Bright red lily beetles may make an appearance now so pick them off and destroy them immediately. Make sure tall perennials and lilies are supported with bamboo canes or flower supports
As flowers fade remove them on rose bushes, perennials and annual plants. After lavender bushes have flowered remove old blooms and shoot tips but avoid cutting into the old wood
Prune wisteria this month by shortening the long wispy growth to about five or six leaves from the main branches.

Greenhouse

Greenhouse plants can be scorched on hot days and shading will prevent this. Use netting or shade paint and take care to avoid drenching plant leaves if possible.
On hot days too plants benefit from an increase in humidity. Damp down (spray water on the floor of the greenhouse) and this will also discourage red spider mite
Greenhouse -grown tomatoes need a weekly feed of high-potash tomato fertiliser and regular watering. Pinch out side-shoots too and tie the leading shoot to its support
Pick cucumbers regularly and pinch out tips of side shoots above developing fruits

Kitchen garden

Pick courgettes regularly, when still small and tender, carefully cutting them from the plant with a sharp knife
Prune summer fruiting varieties of raspberries by cutting stems down to soil level after picking the last of the fruit
Main shoots and side shoots on gooseberry bushes need to be pruned back to five leaves to encourage to produce fruiting shoots for next season
Peg down strawberry runners from new plants. These will root and can be potted up to be added to the strawberry bed next season. The foliage on each strawberry plant can be sheared off and any debris cleared away.
When young winter vegetable crops have stalks about the thickness of a pencil transplant them into final growing positions
Sow outside now: Chinese cabbage, spring cabbage, radish and winter spinach

General

If you are away on holiday be sure your plants don't dry out. Move any containers out of full sun so they are shaded at the hottest time of the day. Terracotta pots can be left on gravel trays topped up with water so they can gradually absorb the reservoir of liquid.
Generate more plants by taking summer cuttings from fuchsias, pelargoniums and tender perennials. These cuttings take root quickly at this time of the year and will over-winter well in a cold frame or greenhouse.
Hedge trimming continues.
Ants may nest in pots and containers. Stand pots in a large saucer of water to help deter them.
In dry weather leave lawn mower blades on the higher setting
Top up ponds as water evaporates and levels go down

(Pinched from WSGreen.com, the West Sussex Green Club Site)

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September

Prepare
As autumn approaches, this is the month when everything seems to be in abundance. This is when we should enjoy the last pickings of summer in preparation for the winter crops. It's likely to be wet at this time, so it's a good idea to add plenty of mulch such as compost to stop the rain washing the goodness out of the soil.

Sow
You could sow a late crop of Spinach and plant out the Spring Cabbages ready for early spring harvesting. Continue to sow Japanese Onions, Winter Radishes and Winter Lettuces ready for the Spring.

Harvest
You should be harvesting Beans, Beetroot, Carrots, Potatoes, Sweetcorn in abundance. There may also be some Fennel, Kohl rabi, Celery and Outdoor Tomatoes.
Start collecting fallen leaves to make leaf mould.

SEPTEMBER CHECKLIST

Plan for spring. Buy lily bulbs in the sales and plant them straight away.
Deadheading will ensure a continued display of blooms.
Attend to bedding. Give displays, hanging baskets and pots a little attention.Support perennials to prevent damage by autumn winds.
Greenfly checks. Treat with a suitable insecticide if needed.
Hardwood stem cuttings.
Bulbs. Look out for indoor bulbs for autumn planting
Harvest crops. Regularly pick crops so that they are always tender and fresh.
Crops to sow: Salad leaves, Chinese cabbage, winter spinach, turnips.
Protect late crops of soft fruit. Cover with netting to keep the birds away.
Pick herb stems (for drying, or chop them up and freeze them).
Trim hedges.
Prepare ground for sowing new lawns.
Collect seeds. (See Ramblings page)
Bring summer houseplants indoors while windows are still open. Check for pests.
Clean up fallen fruit. Dispose of diseased or infested plant debris. Prepare for fruit storage.
Clean wooden trays and boxes.
Worms become active this time of year. Use a besom to sweep away worm casts.
Greenhouse pests should be declining - but keep an eye out if the weather is good.

October

Prepare
This is the month when it is possible to have an early frost, so keep a weather eye open and enjoy the last harvest of your summer crops by harvesting them in time. It's probably a good time to do some tidying up and late digging. Add a top dressing of compost or manure to prepare the beds for spring.

Sow
You could sow a winter crop of Broad Beans and winter Lettuce ready for late spring harvesting. Transplant your Spring Cabbage to harvest early May. It's also time to plant some Onion Sets and Garlic to harvest June/July next year.

Harvest
Continue to harvest Beans, Beetroot, Carrots, Calabrese, Turnips, Sweetcorn.

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November

Prepare
This is the time of the year to clear all your plant debris, store your canes, and other bits and pieces. If it is not too wet, then it's a good time to do some light digging, and apply some mulch to preserve the nutrients in the soil. The worms will enjoy this and condition your soil for you.

Sow
Still time to sow a winter variety of Broad Beans and maybe some Shallots and Garlic ready for next year.

Harvest
You can still probably harvest your Carrots, Turnips, Swedes, Celery and Winter Radish. Start picking your early Brussels Sprouts, Parsnips, Winter Cabbages and Kale.

December

Prepare
Now's the time of the year to check any stored vegetables for sign of spoiling and tidy up the plot.

Sow
Still time to plant an autumn variety of Shallots ready for next year.

Prune
Time to prune those apple trees.

Harvest
Time to continue harvesting your Brussel Sprouts, Parsnips, Swedes, Carrots, Leeks and Winter Cabbages.
Lift celery as required.

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BEGINNERS' GUIDE TO MAKING COMPOST

No experience of making compost but interested in trying?
Whether you live in a house or a flat, in the city, suburbs or the country, there's a composting system for you. Compost is easy to make, will save you money and help your plants grow well. You can start composting at any time of year, although sspring is perhaps the best season to start.

What are the benefits?
Compost not only adds nutrients to the soil, but also improves its structure and helps it to retain water. Composting your kitchen waste also diverts unnecessary rubbish from landfill, so it's good for the environment too, and offers a natural alternative to chemical fertilisers.

Compost bins
Choose from either a contained compost bin or an open one. Before forking out for a bin, check whether the council provides them at a subsidised cost. If you're feeling adventurous, you could even make your own.

Wormeries
A wormery is a special tiered bin that contains worms. When kitchen waste is added, the worms digest and break it down into rich compost. It will provide you with a liquid fertiliser and worm casts, which will give you useable compost in as little as six months. Wormeries need more maintenance than compost heaps. You need to be careful not to overfeed the worms or put in too much of one type of food.

What to put in your bin
A third of the average household bin can be composted and what you put in can be categorised into "greens" and "browns". "Greens" are things that are quick to rot and provide important nitrogen and moisture. "Browns" are dry materials that are slower to rot, provide carbon and fibre, and allow air pockets to form. Here are just a few of the most commons things that can go in your compost bin:

Greens

Tea bags and coffee grounds
Grass cuttings
Fruit and vegetable scraps and peelings
Salad leaves
Old flowers

Browns

Cardboard & toilet roll tubes
Shredded documents
Straw & hay
Vacuum cleaner dust
Pet hair
Egg shells
Egg boxes
Scrunched up paper
Leaves
Sawdust
Twigs and branches

For best results, use a mixture of things so you get a good balance. It can also help to make sure that things are chopped up well and spread out when you tip them into your compost bin.

What not to compost
Do not put dairy produce, meat, fish, bones, fatty food (such as cheese and leftover cooking oil), or pet waste into your compost bin. You should also be careful not to put perennial weeds or diseased plants into your compost.

The composting process
As the material composts in the bin, it will become increasingly moist and will begin to condense - this reduces the amount of air inside the bin. Ensure it stays well aerated by mixing the compost with a stick or garden fork (known as turning) to create air channels in the compost. This will help the composting process and stop it from going mushy.

Using your compost
The bottom layer of the heap will be ready first and it should look dark brown, soil-like and crumbly. Unlike the potting compost that you buy in bags to plant up hanging baskets or containers, the stuff produced from your bin is garden compost. Use it as a mulch to enrich borders and vegetable patches. Mix the compost with some soil and spread it in a layer that is a few centimetres thick around plants. You can also dig it into new beds before you start planting to enhance fertility.

Hints and tips

Place your compost bin in the sun - this will increase the temperature inside the unit, and will help speed up the composting process.
Ensure a good circulation of air in the compost bin by layering twigs, cut flowers or remains of houseplants at the bottom of the bin.
Make sure you keep adding the right combination of "greens" and "browns" and you will have a continuous supply of nutritious compost.
Try not to over fill the compost bin - always make sure you can close the lid.

(24/09/08) With acknowledgements to the BBC Green Club on whose site this appeared

Further Research

BEGINNERS' GUIDE TO WATERING

Water individual plants thoroughly, close to their main stem, to help water drain down to their roots. Avoid watering the whole bed with a rose fitted to your watering can – it usually just wets the soil surface and the water evaporates off without ever reaching the roots. It also wastes water by wetting soil between plants where nothing is growing.

Help plants to survive without the need for regular watering, by encouraging them to be deep rooting. After planting, water them in thoroughly then avoid further watering until needed. Water only when the soil is dry and the plants are ready for more, and when you do, water thoroughly. Plants that are continually watered do not develop deep root systems, as roots stay in the moist surface layer. Shallow-rooted plants are more prone to damage during drought, while deep-rooted plants explore widely and deeply for soil moisture, making them better able to survive short periods of drought. Sink a deep flowerpot or pipe down into the soil alongside plants. Water directly into this pot so that water soaks directly down into the root zone. This avoids wetting the surface layers of soil, which wastes water by evaporation.

Run a seep hose along rows of strawberries or other plants requiring regular watering, and cover this with a mulch of straw or compost. Attach the trickle hose to a water butt filled by rainwater or with grey water from the house. These aren’t included in the hosepipe ban, but it’s always best to check with your water company, as some areas do have different restrictions.

Plants in pots demand regular watering, but this should still be made efficient. Here’s how. Line your terracotta pots with polythene, such as old pieces of compost bags. This will help reduce water lost through evaporation. Place saucers under your patio pots to collect water, reducing waste from run-off. Always mix water-retaining gel into compost used for pots and baskets at planting time. If you forgot to do this, make deep channels into the compost with a cane and pour dry gel granules into these. Install a timer-controlled drip irrigation system to water pots and baskets. This will accurately deliver water precisely where and when it’s wanted. Despite their efficiency the use of these systems is still prohibited under a hosepipe ban.

Group pots together to help create a moist atmosphere around them, and to make them more efficient and easier to water. Choose drought-tolerant plants, where possible, in place of plants with high water demand. For instance, pelargoniums and petunias require less watering than begonias and fuchsias, and silver-leaved plants are generally more drought tolerant.

Some pots and baskets have a built-in reservoir in their base, collecting water to prevent it simply dripping through and being wasted.

There are a number of practical measures that can be taken to help plants survive in areas of low rainfall or where drought is forecast. All make perfect sense to reduce water usage, regardless of whether a hosepipe ban is in place or not.

Mulch all your flowerbeds, covering soil around plants with a deep layer of compost. Make as much of your own compost as possible, or buy bags of peat-free potting compost, bark or any other suitable material. Spread generously to form a minimum layer of 5-7cm (2-3in) deep, to help conserve soil moisture and reduce the growth of annual weeds. Mulch round vegetables, fruit trees, and along rows of raspberries, strawberries and other soft fruits.

Cover borders with a permeable membrane before planting, and plant through this. The membrane will suppress weeds, reduce evaporation and help retain soil moisture. Spread gravel or an ornamental mulch over the membrane. Bury generous wads of soaked newspaper under runner beans, marrows, pumpkins and other crops that require plenty of water at planting time. These will hold onto moisture for roots to explore.

Weeds use water to grow, so weed regularly to reduce competition with other plants.

Plant small, rather than big. Small young plants usually establish and root more deeply than larger, more expensive ones.

Soil fungus called mycorrhizae play a part in helping plants survive drought. Our understanding of these microscopic organisms, which develop symbiotic relationships with plants, is developing slowly, and mycorrhizae are now available for gardeners to buy and add to their soil.

This feature originally appeared in Gardeners' World magazine. To find out what jobs you should be doing now in your garden, as well as gardening tips and advice, visit Gardeners World - what to do now.

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Seeds of Summer

One job gardeners often look forward to in late summer is gathering seed. You don't have to buy packets from the garden centre; you can save your own to ensure the survival of the tastiest, healthiest crops, and the most beautiful blooms. Saving your own garden seeds is both easy and economical - one seed from a single plant will raise hundreds more plants with minimal effort. By collecting seed you give them the best chance of survival by storing over winter and sowing under cover in early spring, while controlling where the seedlings take root.

Top Tips:
Annual flowers and vegetables are a good place to start; the seed is usually easy to collect and the plants grow fast. Many will sow themselves if you let them.
Choose a still, sunny day, looking for seed-heads that have turned brown and seem on the verge of splitting and releasing their contents. Have bags handy (small clear plastic freeze bags are ideal) and invert one over the top of the seed-head before cutting the stem, turning the bag over and tying around the top. Label as you go, so avoid mix-ups. Leave in a warm dry place for up to two weeks to dry out, then empty one bag at a time on to a sheet of paper and separate out the seeds from their casings and other debris. Store seeds in labelled envelopes and store somewhere cool, dark and dry till needed.
Swap seeds to increase stock, insure against crop failure and try new things.
Some seeds, (such as those of hellebores, and umbellifers) need to be sown fresh. Start these off now in pots or seed trays with a little shelter. Biennials (such as foxgloves and hollyhocks) can also be started now, and if you look after them well they may be big enough to flower next summer. With plants that self-seed, gathering your own seed can ensure a continuous flow of blooms all summer.

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Planting Distances

Experience usually teaches us what works best on our own plots but for those who like some sort of guidance here are some general planting distances for some of the most common crops. They won't produce giant specimens but they should provide healthy plants and make good use of your space.

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Growing Tips

Lettuce:

Lettuce can be harvested most of the year if it is sown in succession. Try different varieties.

Parsnips:

Parsnips are slow to germinate, so try sowing radish as am intercrop with parsnips. The radish will be out of the ground by the time the parsnips are up. Radish acts as a good marker to show exactly where the parsnips are sown.

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Pests

Slugs and Snails pests

The gardener's worst enemies? Practically impossible to eradicate. Of course you can dose them with piles of little blue pellets but the poisoned slugs probably don't do a lot of good to our gardener-friendly hedgehogs and toads, so here's some alternative strategies:

Barrier techniques

Crushed egg shells, grit, gravel, pine needles and soot around your plants have all proved useful barriers which slugs do not enjoy crossing but what about porridge oats? Apparently when the slugs eat them it does something to their insides and can even cause them to explode. Nice! Reputedly there are some things they don't like the smell of so growing chives, garlic, mint, geraniums, fennel or foxgloves round the edges will afford some protection. They do say human hair placed around plants is a slug deterrent but for me this is not very practical due to a lack of supply.
For plants in containers you can get adhesive copper tape which is supposed to give them a shock or smear petroleum jelly round the pots. Gravel in my pots protected my hostas for years ........... to some extent.

Traps
The best known of these must be the beer traps. Just put some in a fairly shallow dish and they can't resist it and they drown in the process. Don't waste GOOD beer, they're not that discerning. In fact some hardened beer drinkers reckon you're as well off using Coke or coffee - the caffeine has a funny effect on them.
Then there's grapefruits. You get to eat the grapefruit yourself but the upturned skin of half a grapefruit is pretty irresistible to a slug and you'll find them collected underneath. If you want, you can even cut a bit out and make a door for them to get in.
Strips of old carpet soaked in water have a similar effect and can be used time and again until they get just too slimy.

Predators

Some critters actually enjoy a bit of a munch on slugs and so are to be encouraged. A little pond should bring in a few slug-gobbling frogs and a bird table + feeders some birds to pick them off. Birds also like caterpillars and greenfly but don't make your bird table too big as you don't want to encourage those cabbage-fancying pigeons.

Hunting
Slugs are nocturnal feeders by and large so when it gets dark get your torch and hunt them down. If you're squeamish about squidging them under your boot or slicing with a well aimed spade or trowel, you can always sprinkle a bit of salt over them and watch them bubble dry in about a minute. If you are not so squeamish gather them up and drown them in a bucket of salty water.

You can always try keeping your garden area nice and tidy and free of all the rubbish they like to hide under in the daytime but it's not easy so arm yourself for the forthcoming war.

Slug Pellets and Hedgehogs - a Heartfelt Plea wildlife

Friends and neighbours, I am sure none of you would intentionally torture and kill a wild animal, but, possible inadvertantly, someone has. Have you been using slug pellets? This morning a beautiful fit plump healthy hedgehog was lying on our lawn unable to stand and every so often writhing in pain. This has continued all day (it is now 7 p.m.). Perhaps I should have had the guts to smash its brains in - but I could not bring myself to do this. My husband placed it in the shade under some hydrangeas. Did you realise if you feed slug pellets to slugs, their predators also get poisoned? That includes hedgehogs, toads and frogs - all friends to the gardener. The death they suffer is brought about by their intestines being dissolved away - a horribly painful, long, lingering death.

Please, please, please do not use slug pellets. This is the third time we have had to endure this spectacle. Needless to say, we never use slug pellets. My method of removing slugs if they get too bad is to go out after dark with a torch (there are plenty around at that time) and I steel myself to squash them as I feel this is the quickest and most humane death available. Alternatively, beer traps can be effective. If we could only build up the population of hedgehogs again I am certain the slug problem would improve dramatically - but it needs a concerted effort by us all not to use these poisons. Do you think in the circumstances it is at least worth a try and everyone should agree No Slug Pellets to be used at all in our area?

Worthing and District Allotments and Gardens Association

Affiliated to the Royal Horticultural Society and the National Vegetable Society

HINTS & TIPS

Gardeners' Calendar

Guides & Tips

January

Most of these jobs can be done anytime during Winter

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

AUGUST CHECKLIST

Flower garden

Greenhouse

Kitchen garden

General

September

SEPTEMBER CHECKLIST

October

November

December

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BEGINNERS' GUIDE TO MAKING COMPOST

BEGINNERS' GUIDE TO WATERING

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Seeds of Summer

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Planting Distances

Experience usually teaches us what works best on our own plots but for those who like some sort of guidance here are some general planting distances for some of the most common crops. They won't produce giant specimens but they should provide healthy plants and make good use of your space.

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Growing Tips

Garlic:

Lettuce:

Parsnips:

Pests

Slugs and Snails pests

Slug Pellets and Hedgehogs - a Heartfelt Plea wildlife

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