Post by Madeleine Cardozo It’s all very exciting, everything has started growing like mad – including the weeds! So really you could be spending a lot of time outside enjoying the garden, weeding the flower beds and planting out all sorts of exciting things. You shouldn’t need to water your vegetable patch unless we have a heat wave. Do not overwater.

Jobs for the garden this week

1. Start to take most things out of the greenhouse as it will get too hot in there. Plants like tomatoes, basil, cucumbers, peppers, chilli’s and aubergines can all stay in there as they love the heat. Don’t forget to water well.

2. Plant out all kinds of beans, sweet peas, peas, courgettes, tomatoes, lettuces.... Make sure that you harden off the plants before actually planting them. When planted water well straight away. Some plants will benefit from still keeping the tunnels on such as tomatoes and strawberries.

3. Pinch out extra stems from tomatoes, pinch out broad bean tips.

4. Weed any beds that are getting out of control, try to keep on top of the weed situation. Don’t let your vegetables have to compete for energy from the ground. If you keep using the hoe you will save yourself heaps of work later.

5. Sow another batch of salads. If you are doing 2nd batches of beans or peas sow these too. Sow carrots too...

6. Harvest asparagus, rhubarb, strawberries, and salads.

7. Get ready to protect any flowers on your soft fruit - more on this coming soon. 

Tools/accessories to get out of your gardening shed this week:

Time to swap poly for mesh

Giant Micromesh Easy Tunnel For keeping bugs off and providing shade

Micromesh Pest & Wind Barrier Put this up as soon as you've sown your carrots

Net Easy Tunnel keep crops from being pecked at. Shading conserves moisture so you don't have to keep watering too.