• Avoid carrot root fly by sowing an early crop of carrots under cloches or fleece
• Sow tomatoes, chillies, sweet peppers and aubergines in pots indoors
• Plant Jerusalem artichoke tubers, at a depth of 10-15cm, spaced about 30cm apart 
• Buy young herbs to plant in containers near your back door, for handy pickings
• Plant onion and shallot sets, spacing them 10-15cm apart, and keep the bed free of weeds
• Make the first outdoor sowings of hardy veg, such as spinach, covering with cloches or fleece
• Plant early potatoes in trenches on the veg plot, or in large tubs if space is limited
• Sow parsnips as soon as the soil starts to warm up, as they’re slow to germinate and need a long growing season
• Plant a fig tree in a large container to restrict its roots, which encourages fruiting and limits its overall size 
• Feed cabbages and other brassicas with nitrogen-rich fertiliser, such as pelleted chicken manure
• Plant bare-root asparagus crowns in well-drained soil or raised beds, in an open, sunny spot 
• Start hoeing veg beds as soon as the weather starts to warm up, as weeds will germinate quickly 
• Plant strawberries in a hanging basket to keep the fruits away from slugs

Greenhouse

• Get crops off to a good start indoors to transplant into the garden later, such as celeriac, celery, lettuces and parsley
• Take down bubble insulation in the greenhouse once temperatures start to rise, to let in more light)
• Buy good value young bedding plants for growing on to a larger size under glass, or sow your own in a heated propagator
• Sow dwarf French beans in a large pot for an early indoor crop in June
• Plant prepared freesia bulbs in pots of rich, loam-based compost, for fragrant flowers indoors this summer
• Pot up overwintering cannas into fresh compost, water in, then place in a warm spot to spur them into growth
• Sow sweet peas in deep pots and keep them frost-free in a greenhouse or on a sunny windowsill
• Take cuttings from dahlia tubers planted last month to raise new plants
• Protect greenhouse sowings of beans, peas, mangetouts and sweet peas from hungry mice
• Open greenhouse vents on sunny days to prevent humidity building up
• Sow coleus on a warm windowsill to enjoy their vibrant foliage indoors or in tropical-style displays outside