Job of the week: Protect plants from slugs and snails
Use slug pellets sparingly on vulnerable plants such as hostas and young vegetable seedlings. If you prefer to garden without chemicals choose SLUGGO, a slug and snail pellet approved for organic growers.
Flowers:
Stake perennials early before growth gets too tall or floppy
Repot evergreen azaleas, using ericaceous (acidic) compost
Plant perennial wallflowers for a burst of colour in May
Fruit & veg:
Earth up potatoes to encourage more tubers to form up the stems
Hoe regularly between rows of veg to discourage weeds
Plant pot-grown fruit trees and fruit bushes
Greenhouse:
Continue sowing tomato seeds – they’ll germinate quickly in warm conditions
Plant up grow bags with cucumbers and green peppers
Pot up dahlia tubers to grow on before transplanting outside
Around the garden:
Re-seed patches of bare soil in the lawn, watering well
Dig out perennial weeds like docks by the roots
Thoroughly water newly planted shrubs, trees and hedges in any dry spells until they establish
