Jobs to do

March is the month when the gardening season really wakes up. Early

spring flowers - crocuses, winter aconite and snowdrops are creating pools

and patches of colour, and there are a hundred and one, and more, jobs to

be done.

Prune old wood from acid cherries like Morellos. Untie blackberry

and other hybrid berry canes which were tied in bundles for winter

protection and re-train them against wires, fences or walls. Prune

cobnuts, filberts and blueberries by the middle of the month.

Feed blackcurrants with nitrogen, and cane fruit with potash, after

forking round the plants to get rid of any weeds that have survived the

winter.

Spray soft fruit and apples against fungal diseases like scab,

mildew and moulds.

Camelias, particularly if they have been planted in an east-facing,

or an exposed position, will be flowering and very vulnerable to frost

damage to the flowers. Listen to the weather forecast and if a frost is

forecast, drape the whole shrub with garden fleece before dark. Do the

same for early flowering rhododendrons.

Lawns will definitely be coming to life. Using a lawn rake or a

mechanical scarifier, rip out the 'thatch' (dead grass) and compost it.

Aerate by pricking the surface with a fork (mechanical aerators are not

that expensive), and top dress with a combined grass feed and selective

weed killer.

If the weather is mild and the grass is beginning to grow

give it a light trim, setting the mower blades to leave an inch of growth. Re-sow bald patches.

It is still not too late to prepare trenches for runner beans and

sweet peas if you did not get round to it in January.

Mulch shrub and flower borders with well-rotted manure or compost.

If you decided to use shredded bark to suppress weeds make sure it is

composted. Fresh shredded bark leaches nitrogen from the soil.

If you have been planning new beds and been held up by a wet winter you can still make them now, but do not enrich them

with fresh manure, particularly from stables, as it will be full of viable

weed seeds which will be nothing but trouble in the coming months. Go for

the really well-rotted stuff.

Compost that has been standing in a heap all winter needs to be

kicked into life. Turn it over thoroughly with a fork and cover it with

black plastic sheeting or an old carpet to raise the heat to get the

bacteria and worms hard at work breaking down the organic matter.

With the outside temperature increasing it is important to make sure

that the greenhouse is ventilated during the day. Excessive heat or

humidity will lead to all kinds of plant disease problems.

By now the greenhouse will be full of growing plants and insect pests

will appear for a banquet. They can be controlled by chemical sprays, but

if you want an organic greenhouse use sticky yellow cards to trap

whiteflies and other winged pests, as well as natural predators like

encarsia wasps (Encarsia formosa) that prey on whiteflies, Phytoseiulus

persimilis which consumes red spider mite, and microscopic nematode worms

that will destroy the devastating eel-worm, itself a nematode, in the

potting and seed tray compost.