JOBS for the week

Sow beetroot, broad beans and lettuce outdoors. Sow aubergines, tomatoes and peppers indoors.

Plant out sweet pea seedlings. They will need supports to climb up – make your own from birch twigs or with willow cuttings.

Keep winter bedding, such as primulas, cyclamens and pansies, looking good by regular dead-heading. Garden centres are full of cheerful plants, such as polyanthus, Bellis perennis, erysimum and dianthus, so you can celebrate spring by potting up colourful combinations.

Protect emerging apricot and peach blossom from frosts by covering with horticultural fleece. It’s also a good time to plant fruit trees – if you don’t have lots of space, remember there are plenty of dwarf varieties and fruit bushes available.

Give your lawn a good scratching with a rake to remove winter debris and thatch.

Container-grown plants like to be top-dressed in spring – remove top layer of old compost gently without damaging roots and replace with fresh general or garden compost.