FLOWERS

• Plant up hanging baskets, but keep in a greenhouse or porch for a few weeks to establish, before putting outside

• Tie in the new shoots of climbing plantincluding clematis, wisteria and honeysuckle, to their supports

• Apply liquid feed to tulips daffodils and other spring bulbs to encourage a good display next year

• Plant out summer bedding and tender annuals including sunflowers, cosmos and nasturtium after the last frost

• Remove faded spring bedding, such as wallflowers and forget-me-nots, and add to your compost bin

• Harden off tender plants raised indoors, but bring them back in at night to protect from late frosts

FRUIT & VEG

• Earth up potatoes, covering the shoots with soil as they appear

• Start sowing dwarf and climbing French beans, as well as runner beans, directly outdoors in warm weather

• Start hardening off tender young plants, such as tomatoes and courgettes, ready for planting out in mild areas

• Thin out seedlings, like carrots, from earlier sowings to ensure you get healthy, strong-growing plants

• Keep plenty of fleece handy to protect young seedlings or fruit blossom, if late frosts are forecast

• Remove all strawberry runners, so plants put their full energy into fruiting

GREENHOUSE

• Check plants regularly for pests, on shoot tips and the underside of leaves, and treat with biological controls if desired
• Water thirsty crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers and courgettes regularly as the weather starts to warm up
• Tie the stems of indoor tomatoes, cucumbers and aubergines to cane as they grow
• Open doors and vents on warm days, but close them in the evening as nights can still be cold
• Start to harden off tender plants and bedding, ready for planting outside after the last frost
• Transplant tomatoes into growing bags or large pots, and tie their main stem to a cane or vertical wire for support

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