Weekend gardener: Get growing

Edibles

Sow, sow sow – in seed trays under cover and in the garden unless the soil is too wet and cold.

Prepare beds for sowing by breaking up soil to a fine tilth for the centimetre or so. Generally, the smaller the seed, the finer the soil – but also the shallower it will be sown.

Root crops, such as carrots, will fork or have other distortions if grown in too heavy soil. Lighten it by adding river sand and compost, or choose a rotund, not cylindrical, variety of carrot.

Sow small quantities of the likes of lettuce, radish, spring onions and carrots every fortnight or so to ensure continuity of supply, and avoid the glut/famine scenario.

Lettuce (and as a rule, most root crops) are best sown where they are to grow. Sow beetroot, coriander, rocket, spinach direct into soil.

Capsicum, chilli, corn, courgette, eggplant, melons of all sorts, pumpkin and tomato may be started now under cover for planting out later when the soil is warmer. Plant celery and silver beet.

Early potatoes’ sprouts may be pushing up through the soil, cover lightly with pea straw or hoe up some soil around them.

Maincrop potatoes can go in this month.

Sow under cover fruit seeds, such as cape gooseberries, tamarillo and passionfruit.

Ornamentals

Annual flowers that may be sown now directly into the garden include calendula, larkspur, marigold, nasturtium, nigella, night-scented stock, scabiosa, snapdragon and sunflower.

For the bees and other beneficial insects, sow some nectar and pollen-rich flowers, such as alyssum, bishops flower, cornflower, shirley poppies and phacelia – or try a readymade wildflower blend offered by most seed companies.

Sow perennials now for flowering next year. It’s a cheap and rewarding way to get bulk numbers of your favourite perennials. Divide summerflowering perennials if need be – if the clump has grown too large or is looking tired, or to bulk up plants. Usually every two to three years is optimum.

Divide hostas before their leaves appear.

Divide hellebores and primulas after flowering. Plants grown in containers will welcome a topdressing of compost to help them through the coming months of growth.

Prune back to about 60cm ornamental shrubs grown for their colourful stems (such as the redstemmed cornus and willow) or large leaves (such as cercis, smoke bush and paulownia). Then fertilise. – Mary Lovell-Smith