Order organics...plant onion sets...sow salads...

Reproduced from April 07 issue of Gardeners' World magazine. This month's issue on sale now. Subscribe now by direct debit and save 25 per cent.

Get organic plants by post
Growing organically means choosing the right seeds and many suppliers now offer an organic selection. However, if you've left it too late to sow or you don't have the space, why not order organic seedlings or young plants instead? Last spring I ordered peppers, aubergines, tomatoes, leeks and onions from Delfland Nurseries (01354 740 553, www.organicplants. co.uk). The prices compared very favourably to raising plants from seed and there was a good range to choose from. A well-packed box of plants arrived quickly, ready for potting up or planting directly in my veg plot. Several other seed companies, and also B&Q, are selling organic plants this spring, so check for details.

Fruit drops
When fruit trees have been well pollinated, they often end up carrying too many fruits. Left to their own devices, the trees may try to retain them all, producing big crops of tiny fruits. Sometimes the weight of the crop is such that it causes the branches to break under the strain. Unable to cope, many trees start dropping fruits, especially in dry conditions. Rather than wait for nature to take its course, I prefer to stay in control and remove excess fruits before the tree wastes its energy on them. With peaches and nectarines, I snip off fruits when hazelnut sized, leaving one per cluster, spaced about 10cm apart along the branches.

Tip: successional salads
To ensure a regular supply of salad leaves for picking over the summer months, sow a little and often. The idea is always to have a new crop developing to replace the one you're picking, avoiding a glut when everything matures at once. Sow a few pinches of salad seeds in pots or beds every fortnight. For more tips on growing your own salads, turn to page 70.

Grow onions the easy way
Onion sets are tiny bulbs that come primed and ready to grow into full-sized onions. Although you can grow crops from seed sown early in the year, sets provide a quicker and simpler alternative. Plant them this month by digging a shallow trench and putting the sets directly into the ground, spacing them 10-15cm apart. Firm the soil around each one, leaving the tip just showing. Snip off long, dry tips to help disguise them from sparrows, which will tug them out of the soil. Space the rows at least a hoe's width apart so that you can hoe easily between them to remove weed seedlings.

Checklist

• Sow pots of herbs, including the free chives with this issue.
• Plant maincrop potatoes.
• Sprinkle sulphate of potash feed around fruit trees and bushes, strawber ries and cane fruits.
• Plant asparagus crowns.
• Cover strawberries with cloches to encourage earlier flowering.
• Protect blossom from frost with layers of fleece.