Jobs to do this May

1. Grow your own

   Grow your own this summer. Tomatoes, peppers and aubergines are easy to grow in pots on a sunny patio. Buy young plants now and plant them out outside after the last frosts.

2. Compost heaps

   Compost heaps can get swamped with grass clippings during the summer and often go stodgy and smelly. To stop this, add layers of shredded or scrunched up balls of newspaper and courser plant material when emptying the grass onto the heap.

3. Tender bedding plants

   It should be safe to plant out tender bedding including geraniums and fuchsias, in all but the colder parts of the country, towards the end of this month. Water them in with Flower Power Premium Plant Food to help them establish faster.

4. Lawns

   For the loveliest looking lawn, try to mow it twice a week – cutting little and often is much better than taking off lots every 7 – 14 days.

5. Sweet peas

   Keep sweet peas well watered or the buds may drop off in dry weather. Once they start blooming, pick them regularly to produce even more flowers during the summer.

6. Weeding

   Keep borders free of weeds by hoeing once a week, or by covering them with bark chips. Even better, use a planting membrane which will stop weeds (like couch grass and ground elder) for up to 20 years.

7. Ponds

   If your pond is turning green, try to reduce the amount of sunlight reaching it by planting waterlilies and other floating aquatic plants. Ideally, you should cover between one-third and a half of the surface of the pond.

8. Raspberry canes

   Thin out crowded raspberry canes. This ensures sufficient air and light to help reduce disease problems and the plant can ripen all the fruit. Hoe off or pull out raspberry suckers appearing between the rows.

9. Salad crops

   Continue making little and often, weekly or fortnightly successional sowings of salad crops, to ensure a constant supply throughout summer. Sow thinly to reduce thinning out once the seedlings are growing well.