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.