JOBS TO DO THIS WEEK

■ Spring clean your borders – hoe off or dig up emerging weeds and mulch with compost or wellrotted manure. Fertilise emerging perennials and roses with some chicken manure or liquid seaweed feed.

■ Take sedum cuttings now from active growth.

■ If temperatures don’t plummet too much, it’s outdoor sowing and planting time for lots of crops. Try leeks, beetroot, radish, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, spinach, cabbage, artichoke, broad beans, swiss chard, peas and spinach.

■ Cut back dead ferns to reveal healthy new shoots.

■ Plants in pots will benefit from a top dressing of fresh compost and a dash of liquid fertiliser.

■ Plant out strawberries, above, and main crop potatoes. Tomato seedlings may now be big enough to pot on.

Sow sweet peas outdoors or plant out autumn-sown sweet peas.

■ Seeds, left, can germinate in as little as seven days so keep an eye out. Once they have developed true leaves, they are ready to be pricked out and potted individually.

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