January

Most of these jobs can be done anytime during Winter

• Europe's biggest compost heap is at Kew Gardens if you want some tips from the real experts.
• For information (and orders) about wormeries visit: http://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk/cinema.
• To make lovely leaf mould, fill a black plastic back with fallen leaves, poke holes in the bag with a garden fork and leave. Great soil improver after about a year.
• Become a master composter by visiting: http://www.homecomposting.org.uk (Garden Organic).

BEGINNERS' GUIDE TO WATERING

Watering techniques

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.

Don't go to pot

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.

Good gardening sense

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.

Use screens or windbreaks to reduce the effects of drying winds.

Collect rainwater to top up ponds and water features.

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.

Here are our top tips:

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 (See also our Showing page)

Many vegetables freeze well to eat out of season although there is no doubt that some taste better fresh. Others can be stored given the correct conditions. e.g. potatoes, carrots, onions, etc. But let's face it, most of us grow our vegetables so we can eat them fresh and know exactly what they've had put on them. So here's a few ideas on how to grow some tasty, wholesome crops:

Crop Rotation

For crops to do well, it is important that your vegetable plot is well prepared and that you use a rotation system to avoid the build-up of pests and diseases.

• Soak the cloves in a solution of Epsom Salts before planting. According to Russian research it leads to bigger bulbs as shoot growth is faster.
• If you've eaten something containing a fair bit of garlic, chewing fresh parsley will freshen your breath.
• We all know about making a garlic spray but make a similar spray from chillies and combine the two. The garlic acts as a repellant and the chilli acts as a pesticide.

Lettuce:

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

Onions:

Onions prefer a sunny position with a rich but light soil although they will do well in most soils as long as it is firm. Maincrop onion sets should be sown in March, 4 inches apart in rows 1 foot apart to a depth where only the very tips of the sets are just showing through the soil. Dig a hole in the soil with a trowel and place them in the hole with their necks uppermost. Watering may be required in dry periods up till mid-August. After that, do not provide any water as this may delay the maturing process. Onions are ready for harvesting a week or two after the foliage starts to turn brown and shrivel up.

Parsnips:

Parsnips are slow to germinate, so try sowing radish as an 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.

Peas:

To grow good peas and mangetout the soil needs to be of good structure with plenty of organic matter and a pH of 6.5. It does not need to be too fertile. Sow from February to June, under cloches if necessary, in shallow trenches about 6" wide and 2" deep. Scatter the seed evenly, so that there is roughly 2" between seeds, in the trench and fill by raking soil over the seed.
Peas need to be supported - tie the plants to canes as they grow. The plants should be pinched out when they reach the top to encourage shoots further down the plants. Peas are normally ready for harvest three weeks after flowering.

Potatoes:

Before planting out, potato seeds need 'chitting'. This is done by placing them in seed trays or egg cartons. Leave them in a light place for about 6 weeks; they will then sprout small green shoots. Plant the tubers 5" deep, being careful not to damage the shoots. Space early varieties 12" apart with 24" between the rows. Later maincrop varieties should be planted 15" - 18" apart with 2ft 6 inches between the rows.
The ground has to be dug over - preferably by double digging, and organic matter incorporated. The trench then has to be dug to take the seed. Later the plants have to be earthed up and finally the tubers are dug out of the ground.
All varieties of potato are pretty tolerant and will grow in any soil but will do better in an organic rich one that is slightly acid. Potatoes are not hardy and a frost will kill them. Early potatoes (new potatoes) should be harvested just as the flowers are opening. Second earlies can be lifted as required, or if the space is needed, the whole crop can be lifted and left on the soil surface for 48 hours to allow the skins to harden. Green potatoes should not be eaten as they are poisonous.

Runner Beans:

Runner Beans should be planted using a trench 2 feet wide that has been double dug and had plenty of manure incorporated. They grow to over 6 feet high, so some form of support will be needed. This support must be absolutely rigid - use 8' or 10' canes, using one cane for each plant, to make a framework. Runner beans need plenty of water. They will be ready for picking from midsummer onwards until the first frosts. Check the plants regularly and pick the beans while they are young and tender. Leaving them too long before picking will result in tough, stringy beans.

Swede:

A well dug, weed free area is all that is required for Swede and some well prepared compost is beneficial if your soil is poor or dries quickly in the summer. As soon as the seedlings are big enough to handle, thin out to 1 plant every 12 inches. Keep weed free in the early stages. Swedes are winter hardy so can be left in the ground until required.

Sweet Corn:

Grow sweet corn in a sunny position that is not too windy. Use well drained soil, pH 5.5 - 7. Sow in individual pots during April. Sweet corn seeds need chitting (germinating) before sowing - place them in a damp, warm place. Use easily degradable pots so the roots don't suffer from being transplanted. Harden off and plant out in late May - early June. Plant in a block instead of a long row as this aids pollination. Plant seeds 12-18" apart. Watering is usually only necessary when the flowers appear. Stake the plants if they are exposed to the wind and pull soil around the roots if they become exposed. To test when cobs are ready pull back the leaves and prick a grain with a fingernail. Some liquid will emerge. If it is creamy, the cob is ready. If it is watery, leave it a few days.

Tomatoes (in Growbags):

Place your growbag against a sunny wall or inside your greenhouse. Plant three equally spaced tomato plants in your grow-bag and give them a good watering. Make sure that the tomato plant has good stability and support by tying to cane supports. As the plant starts to grow, pinch out any side shoots that start to grow away from the main stem. This stops the plant from wasting any energy and keeps it in a manageable shape. Keep tying the main stem as it grows to ensure the plant is well supported. When the plants have produced 4 sets of little flowers, pinch out the top of the plant so that it doesn't grow any further. Tomatoes should be picked when they are in full colour. If you wish them to ripen quickly, lift them into a warm place in full daylight, such as a greenhouse, to ripen. If you don't have the space, then pick any fruits showing some colour and place them on a sunny window sill to ripen.

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Pests

Aphids

          
         blackfly                             greenfly                                               whitefly                                    ladybird devouring aphids

A family which includes all those sap-sucking beauties like greenfly, blackfly and whitefly. They seem particularly fond of tender young growth and are a menace on all sorts of plants: apple tree leaves, cabbage leaves, runner beans, roses, they are everywhere. It is nice to know there is also a huge varierty of creatures that love to munch on aphids: ladybirds, wasps, hoverflies and birds. This means it could be a bit counterproductive to spray them with chemicals as you could also be killing off the very things which control them and some pollinating insects necessary for any sort of crop. So what can you do? It depends on how squeamish you are; the easiest way to remove blackfly from runner beans is to run your finger and thumb along the stems and leaves and just squidge them. If you can't face that a blast of water will get rid of them but, as ever, prevention is better than cure so on the plot just covering vulnreable crops such as lettuce with a fleece may do the trick. If you feel you must resort to chemicals try and choose an organic, environmentally friendly one. Some of us even use a washing up liquid solution which at least means very clean aphids if it fails to kill them.

Cats

Cats leave their messy deposits anywhere in the garden - lawn, flower beds, vegetable beds, paths, gravel and even concrete areas. They also kill millions of birds and leave them on your lawn or wherever. Keeping them out is well-nigh impossible unless you have a territorial cat or dog of your own. They do not attack your plants as such as they are carnivorous but their mess is very unpleasant. Control is largely illegal so we are mainly looking at deterrents. Making life uncomfortable with a selection of prickly leaved twigs (holly, berberis) on the bare earth in vegetable plots may be worth a go and some people swear by tea bags with a few drops of eucalyptus oil on them. If all else fails you may have to resort to an electronic cat scarer (Catwatch) but a water pistol/cannon may be a cheaper option.

Caterpillars

It is nice to know that there are birds and insects that like to eat caterpillars. Some of them turn into lovely butterflies but those we are likely to come into contact with are the dreaded "cabbage" whites. These caterpillars are voracious and happy the gardener who sees them all eaten by birds. I wish! Fortunately they are relatively easy to spot (the little green ones can be tricky admittedly) and grab hold of so just use your fingers and remove them then you can dispose of them. (I leave this to your imagination but throwing them onto someone else's plot is very anti-social). Some gardeners try to protect their plots with netting or fleece but be careful on soft fruit bushes as you could keep out pollinating insects. One of their favourite crops appears to be cabbage and if left unchecked they will shred your plants. The answer is to inspect them regularly and look for the clumps of eggs on the underside ot the leaces and just squash them. You will be lucky to get them all but it will have a sicnificant impact and you will be able to pick off those that emerge.

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.

Acknowledgements to Ken

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?

Celia

See also "Slugs and Snails and Old Wives' Tales" by clicking here.

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