It’s that time of year again when we can turn our thoughts to the garden. We are well into February so it is a good time to look at what has to be done and not leave all the work until the last minute.

Dig the soil as soon as it dries out to get it ready for drilling. Then there is rotation to be considered. Potatoes should not be sown in the same place for about four years to prevent wire-worm building up along with other diseases.

Brassicas that include cabbage, sprouts and cauliflower need a different site each year to decrease the danger of clubroot. The end of February is also a good time to top-dress winter cauliflower with nitrogen – chicken manure is a great source of this mineral.

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The snowdrops put on a great display this year and our garden is white with them. We have about four different types, mostly single blooms. The double flowering variety also did very well.

The snowdrop is a very useful little bulb in that it is the first flower of the new year to brighten up the garden. When they die back is a good time to divide them as it’s hard to find them if left too long. Usually 20 bulbs are needed in a clump to give a good display, as planting a single bulb takes about 10 years to develop into a decent clump. They are very easy to grow and like a reasonably fertile soil.

The tomato plants are coming on nicely and we will soon be planting them into small single pots. This gives them a better chance to grow into strong plants. It is also time to sow some seeds of Golden Acre and Greyhound cabbage. Both are very good summer varieties, sown in containers in the glasshouse as they are very easy to manage that way. Greyhound is a very early cabbage.

The potatoes are nicely sprouted and will be ready to plant out about the middle of March. There are several early varieties to choose from including Sharp’s Express and British Queens. Potatoes need a fertile soil with good rotted farmyard manure, dig this in or use a good organic compost.

Email me at lilysgarden1@gmail.com