BOB FLOWERDEW

How new technology is allowing us to grow more indoors

1 Wild birds will soon be nesting, so clean and refurbish boxes, hang hair and wool on bushes, and cleanse all the birdbaths.

2 Bury a sweet potato in some moist, gritty compost in warmth, forcing shoots to detach and pot for this year’s plants.

3

Use every sunny hour to finish pruning – and on a bright day, remember to pick or knock all the mummified fruits off the trees.

4

Chit your potatoes, rose end up, in a frost-free, light place, then regularly check the shoots for aphids and mealy-bugs.