Get into gardening

Vegetable Garden

It’s time to start planting (under cloches) broad beans, beetroots, brussel sprouts, summer cabbages, leeks, lettuces, hardy peas and radishes.

Seed potatoes – Set out seed potatoes in trays and stand in a cool, bright position for shoots to form. Early varieties can be planted in March, but plant your main crop of potatoes in late April.

Shallots/Onion sets – Plant shallot sets now, and onion sets as soon as the weather warms up in late March.

Tomatoes – Plant your indoor tomatoes in a propagator (heated growing box) or grow on a warm windowsill to encourage quick germination. You can plant outdoor varieties in late March.

Strawberries – Choose different varieties to spread the season from June until late summer. Plants should be spaced about 45cm apart in 1m rows (make sure you leave enough room to get between rows for picking). You can plant through a layer of black polythene to control weeds, but this doesn’t look very nice. Covering plants with cloches will encourage flowering.

Chillies – Try growing some in your greenhouse.

Bedding Plants

Continue to get rid of dead flower heads in your winter beds. Start planting summer bedding plants that need a longer growing season. It’s a good time to stock up on young plants like Fuchsias, Geraniums and Marguerites.

Carry on planting tough flowers like Petunias, Nemesia, Nicotiana and Phlox. Towards the end of the month you’ll be able to plant Marigolds. For a wide range of bedding plants pop to Homebase.

Bulbs

Plant up pots of your favourite summer-flowering bulbs and start them off on a warm windowsill. Outside plant summer flowering bulbs like Gladiolus, Anemone, Iris & Lilium – for a wide choice of bulbs pop to Homebase.

Climbing Plants

It's not too late to cut back Clematis – remember it will help the plant grow better in the spring.

Containers

Give your shrubs an instant boost with a fresh layer of compost. If your plant has outgrown its pot, gently ease the roots out before re-potting.

Get your pre-planted hanging baskets from Homebase.

Greenhouse

Don’t forget to give your greenhouse a good clean before spring to make it nice and light and kill off any pests.

Hedges

Plant young, bare-root saplings in a staggered double row. Water well and give your new hedge a thick layer of mulch. Prune your evergreen hedges as soon as they start growing a lot.

Herbs

Early spring is the best time to divide and re-plant herbs like mint, chives, lovage and marjoram. You can also start to plant new herbs – check out Homebase for a great range.

Houseplants

As the days get longer, add a liquid feed to houseplants. When re-potting plants, add granules of slow release fertiliser to the compost.

Lawn

Start giving your lawn a regular trim – making sure you set the mower blades high to begin with. A spring feed will keep your lawn growing fast and kill off any weeds or moss. You can still lay turf and it will be time to seed new lawns by the end of the month.

Perennials (winter surviving plants)

Spread a slow release fertiliser around emerging plants to get your flowerbeds off to a good start. Lift and divide overgrown clumps of plants.

Shrubs

Give your shrubs a hard prune to improve the shape and encourage flowers. Cut directly above a pair of buds using clean, sharp tools.

Remove any weeds under bushes (it’s important to keep them down because they fight with the plant for food and water).

Trees

Give young trees a thick layer of nutrient-rich mulch to help them get growing.

Vegetables

Give your beds a boost by adding a thick layer of mulch around plants to lock in moisture and ensure the soil doesn’t dry out.

Plant out your prepared potatoes when the soil has started to warm up. Start planting tomato, beetroot and courgettes under glass in a heated propagator or on a sunny windowsill to encourage quick germination.

In warmer parts of the country, you can start planting lettuce outside. Plant the seeds every three to four weeks in a sunny spot to ensure a fresh supply all summer.

Remove any dead heads off rhubarb flowers. And don’t forget to plant your shallots, onion sets and early potatoes outside, and your tomatoes, aubergines and peppers inside.