Gardening: Week by week

Your guide on what to do in the garden this week, brought to you by Earlston Horticultural Society

Flowers

DAHLIAS: Tubers that were potted in the greenhouse early last month should now be starting to produce green shoots, these can be taken as cuttings to produce new plants. Wait until the shoots are at least 5cm(2in) long, cut off the shoot with a sharp knife as close to the tuber as possible, trim the base neatly and remove the lower leaves before inserting around the edge of a pot of fresh compost. Keep them warm and misted with water until rooted.

BEGONIAS/GLOXINIAS: If you only have a small greenhouse or one that is not too well heated and were not able to start your tubers in January or February, this is the time to make a start. Use deep seed trays with a layer of damp peat in the bottom, set the tubers shoulder to shoulder, lightly cover more damp peat (dry peat has difficulty taking up water), if the peat was wetted a few days beforehand no further watering will be needed at first, but do not let it dry out. Keep moist until growth appears then give more water.

AGAPANTHUS: Agapanthus grown in pots can become very pot bound after a few years. A well-established clump should be removed from the pot and divided into smaller sections, you will need a sharp spade or large knife to cut through the tough roots. The roots are fleshy so it’s better to let them dry for 2-3 hours before potting up again.

CHRYSANTHEMUMS: Early flowering chrysanthemum cuttings taken in February should be growing away well now and will need stopping, pinch out the growing tip and this will encourage the plant to break shoots from the leaf joints. This is also a good time to buy or root some spray chrysanthemums

(the ones that have several blooms per stem). Plants can now be moved to a cool greenhouse or cold frame as they like cool conditions. Keep an eye on weather forecasts and watch out for severe frosts to get them covered in time.

Vegetables/Fruit

PEAS: If you have room inside a polytunnel and want to try some early peas start now with an early variety. Use an old piece of rain water guttering and sow a double row in multipurpose compost. When they are growing away well all you need to do is slide it out into a drill in the garden once frost is past.

SWEETCORN: If you want to gamble on us having a hot summer it is time to start off some different veg. Sweetcorn is a relatively easy and worthwhile crop to grow. Sow in pots or modules in the greenhouse and keep at around 15-20C (59-68F) to grow on and plant out in May. ‘Earlybird’ is a sweet early crop and ‘Minipop’ is a compact mini cob

PARSNIPS: Parsnips for normal kitchen use are a tasty and reliable winter crop and will stand out in all weathers, they can be lifted from autumn right through to the following April. Make a shallow drill and sow a few seeds every 7½cm(2¾in) along the row, carefully cover the seeds with a rake and gently tamp down. When seedlings are established thin out to one plant every 7½-10cm (2¾-4in). Harvest as required

TOMATOES: Seed sown a few weeks ago should now be ready for pricking out. Prick out at the two- leaf stage into individual small pots of multipurpose compost. Remember not to touch the stems and plant so that the leaves just sit on the compost