WHAT A BUMPER CROP OF QUESTIONS!

How do you prune a palm tree? What’s the best way to tackle weeds? And which veg will grow in the shade? In this Q&A special, Monty Don solves some thorny conundrums sent in by readers

Each year I receive many questions and requests for advice via these pages and yet I’m aware of how few of them actually get addressed every week. I am sorry if you feel neglected but I try, I really do. I sift and select and do my best to represent the most pressing problems that you send me and yet also try not to repeat myself too often. But once a year I take the opportunity to catch up on a few of those that slipped through the net and answer a bigger batch than the three that are usually allocated to this page every week. I do love hearing from you, so please don’t stop sending your questions in – hopefully your turn will come round in time. What I would say is that questions that are as specific as possible and yet can be applied to as many gardens as posmost sible are the ones likely to be picked. Anyi way, here is a batch that hope will have a wide relall evance to gardeners over the country.

QFour years ago I was given a fig plant in a pot. It has grown well and last year started to show signs of bearing fruit. When is the best time to re-pot it, and which type of compost should I use?

Bev Green, Rainham, Essex

AFigs like good drainage above all, so I suggest a peat-free, bark-based compost with added grit, and – if possible – some garden compost. Despite needing good drainage they also require plenty of water, so give yours a weekly soak and a liquid seaweed feed every week or two between

April and September. The best time to repot it will be just as there are signs of new growth in spring – probably some time in April.

QI would like to stop my 12ft-high palm tree – a Trachycarpus fortunei ,I think – from growing any taller. Should I simply lop off the top, or is there some other method I can use to limit the height?

Jeffrey Snodin, Ilkley, West Yorkshire

AYou cannot really prune T. fortunei to limit its height. Like all palms it can only grow upwards, so take out the top and it stops growing. But this tree grows relatively slowly – no more than a foot a year – and can be stripped of all its dead leaves and the hairy ‘body-wrapping’ to reveal a smooth, slimmer, much more elegant plant. Also, the more sunlight it gets, the stouter and shorter it tends to be. Shade makes it grow taller and thinner.

QMy son has a major problem with horsetail in his garden. Can it be eradicated?

Sandra Thomas, Llangunnor, Carmarthenshire

AI am afraid that horsetail, Equisetum arvense, is one of the most difficult weeds to get rid of. The roots go down as far as 8ft and unless completely removed will reshoot. However, you can weaken it. The first thing to do is cut it back regularly (it makes an excellent addition to the compost heap). Horsetail likes poor – and poorly drained – soil, so giving it a regular, thick mulch of garden compost and improving the drainage will help too.

QCan I grow vegetables in a plot that’s shaded by protected woodland behind my garden?

Linda Strickland, Dorset

AAll vegetables need sun to a greater or lesser extent, but some do better in shade than others. Leafy crops such as lettuce, spinach, rocket and mizuna will not mind shade, especially in summer, as they grow best in cool conditions. Root crops such as potatoes, beetroot, radishes, carrots and parsnips will be worth growing. All brassicas – such as cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts and broccoli – will be fine too. Leeks are especially good for shade and of the legumes, broad beans and runner beans will be viable. But do everything you can to maximise the light and, because the growing season will be shorter in the shade, I suggest using raised beds to help the soil warm up more quickly. n