'How to'... Gardening Guides

What could be more satisfying than the fresh flavour of newly dug potatoes lifted straight from your own vegetable plot? If you have plenty of space in your vegetable garden, follow this potato growing guide to learn how to grow potatoes in trenches.

Click here to find out how to grow potatoes in the ground.

If you’re lucky enough to have space on your vegetable plot you can grow your potatoes in the ground. If you only have limited space read this potato growing guide to find out how to grow potatoes in containers.

Click here to find out how to grow potatoes in bags.

Blight is a destructive fungal disease that is caused by spores of Phytophthora infestans which are spread by the wind and may also contaminate potato tubers in the soil. It can also affect tomato plants and once crops are infected there is little that can be done.

Click here to find out how to prevent and treat blight.

You can’t rival the flavour of a fresh home-grown tomato straight from the vine. Their taste is far superior to the bland tomatoes offered in the supermarkets and they’re so easy to grow! Tomatoes can easily be grown from either seed or plug plants and with a huge range of varieties available they are ideal for gardens of any size.

Click here to find out how to grow tomatoes.

Fresh peas picked straight from the garden are a revelation! Once you’ve tasted how sweet they really taste, you’ll never want to eat frozen peas again. Better still, growing pea plants is incredibly easy and you can achieve a good yield in a small space.

Click here to find out how to grow your own peas.

Garlic is a nutrient-rich and low maintenance vegetable that is ideal for beginner gardeners. Growing garlic is easy, even if you only have space for a container on the patio! Read our garlic growing guide for advice on how to grow garlic at home.

Click here to find out how to grow garlic.

Sweet potatoes are traditionally grown in warmer climates but don’t be put off. New, hardier cultivars mean that now you can grow sweet potatoes in the UK.

Follow our sweet potato growing guide for bumper crops in a cooler climate.

Asparagus fetches high prices in the supermarkets, but why pay when you can cut your own crop straight from the garden? Growing asparagus in the UK is simple, and once established, asparagus beds are relatively low maintenance.

Read our asparagus growing tips to get the best from your asparagus plants.

There's nothing like the taste of herbs picked fresh from your own garden! They're so easy to grow, whether in beds, borders, containers or on windowsills and with our full range of seeds and plants, growing your own herbs has never been easier.

Click here to find out how to grow Herbs.

Growing cucumber plants is really quite easy once you understand that there are two main types available, and these need different treatment to produce a good crop. Learn the difference between greenhouse and outdoor ridge cucumbers and how to grow the best cucumber crops.

Click here to find out how to grow cucumbers.

Why not try something a little bit different, and grow your own mushrooms? Mushroom growing may seem complicated but our mushroom dowels, mushroom spawn and complete mushroom growing kits all provide full instructions and everything you will need to grow your own mushrooms - no specialist equipment is required.

Click here to find out how to grow Mushrooms.

It’s almost Halloween! But once again, you may well be kicking yourself after forgetting to sow any pumpkin seeds. Way back in spring you were busy sowing summer crops and Halloween was the furthest thing from your mind. But now you are faced with disappointment of picking your pumpkin from the supermarket shelves instead of your own vegetable garden.

Click here to discover how to grow pumpkins.

Even though it’s cold outside, January and February are the perfect months to turn up the heat and start sowing some fiery chilli peppers! When growing chillies in the UK, early sowing is the secret to give your chilli peppers plenty of time to ripen before the end of summer - although they can still be sown right up until the end of April for a successful crop.

Click here to discover how to grow chilli peppers.

Carrots are an easy and rewarding crop to grow, great for encouraging children to eat their vegetables! With so many varieties of this popular vegetable available, carrots can be grown in beds, containers and even window boxes making them suitable for gardens of any size. The taste of a home-grown carrot is far superior to supermarket produce - try growing your own carrots and see for yourself!

Click here to discover how to grow carrots.

Also known as the New Zealand Yam, this unusual member of the Oxalis family has long been grown in the Andes for its nutritionally rich tubers with a tangy lemon flavour that becomes nuttier once cooked.

Click here to find out how to grow Oca (New Zealand Yam).

Growing your own fruit is very rewarding and with so many different ways of training them, there is a fruit tree to suit every size of garden. Growing fruit trees is easy; just follow our quick guide to get the best out of your tree.

Click here to follow our step-by-step guide on how to plant and grow fruit trees.

Everybody loves strawberries! These delicious and aromatic fruits are a quintessential summer treat. Why settle for expensive supermarket strawberries when they’re so easy to grow at home? Happy both on the vegetable plot and on the patio, try growing strawberries in hanging baskets, containers, and even window boxes!

Click here to learn how to grow your own strawberries and discover the flavour of warm sun-ripened fruit picked fresh from your own garden.

Growing blueberries is really easy and can produce great results. They prefer an acid soil in a nice sunny or semi shaded position. And even if your garden soil is not acidic then you can try growing blueberries in containers using an ericaceous compost mix.

Click here to find more tips on growing blueberries.

Growing rhubarb in your garden is so easy that it has even gained a reputation for thriving on neglect. So imagine how much better your crops will be with just a little extra care!

Click here for some top tips on growing rhubarb and how to get the very best from your crops.

There’s no need to spend a fortune on soft fruit from the shops, when you can relish the sweet flavour of sun-warmed raspberries picked fresh from your own plants. Raspberries are easy to grow, even if you only have space for a container on the patio! Read on to discover how to plant raspberries in your garden.

Click here to find out how to grow raspberries.

Planting bulbs is an easy way to ensure colourful displays in your garden, particularly in spring before the rest of the garden has woken from its winter dormancy. Bulbs can be planted in containers or borders, and look particularly effective when naturalised in grass. There are bulbs to suit all sites and soils.

So if you are wondering how deep to plant daffodil bulbs or when to plant tulips, click here to discover how easy growing bulbs can be.

There is a popular myth that peonies are tricky to grow but that’s just not true if you know how to plant them properly. Choosing the right position and planting them at the right depth are the secrets to success; and once they are established they will virtually look after themselves.

Click here to find out how to plant peonies.

Wisteria is the quintessential climber for the English cottage garden. A well-grown wisteria is an absolute joy in May and June when the beautiful, scented pendants of flowers drape from the branches in a breathtaking display.

Click here to find out more about growing and pruning wisteria.

Hanging baskets, containers and flower pouches add a whole new dimension to gardening, helping to utilise all the available space. With hanging baskets and flower pouches you can brighten up a sunny wall, or with the right choice of plants, even add colour to those tricky shady areas. Why not grow fresh herbs throughout the winter with an indoor basket next to a sunny window!

Click here to discover how to uncover all there is to know about hanging baskets, flower pouches and containers.

Sweet Peas are a cottage garden classic producing beautiful blooms with the most gorgeous scent. You can train them onto a plant support to create a really impressive column of fragrant, summer colour, and they make excellent cut flowers.

Click here to find out more about growing sweet peas.

Like its larger cousins, dwarf patio variety Buddleja Buzz™ will grow in almost any well drained soil. And because it's a dwarf variety it will grow just as happily in a container on your patio.

Click here to find out more about how to grow Buddleja Buzz™.

Whether your plants are delivered as bareroots, bulbs or plugs, you can follow our step by step guides to get your plants off to the best possible start.

Click here to find out how to grow your T&M Plants.

Knowing when you should prune a clematis is important to ensure you get the best display of flowers from your plants. Clematis plants are often classified in groups according to their pruning requirements. The correct time for pruning clematis depends upon the type of flowering wood that the plant produces.

Click here to find out how to prune your clematis.

Plant breeding is not merely for boffins working in sterile laboratories or elaborate glasshouse breeding stations. Breeding can be fun and very rewarding and every plant you raise has the potential to be unique. The basic skills for plant breeding are patience and good observation.

Click here to find out how to breed plants at home.

Pest and disease control presents a huge challenge for the gardener, and identifying the cause of the damage can often be the hardest part! Those sneaky garden beasties don’t always show themselves, so how to you know whether your plants were eaten by a slug or a lily beetle?

Click here to find out how to grow prevent & control garden pests & diseases.

Whether you garden on clay, silt or sand there are steps you can take to improve your soil and get the best performance from your plants. Some plants are well adapted to growing in certain types of soil, although even these plants may struggle to cope if your soil is too compacted or too light. The best way to improve any soil type is to incorporate liberal amounts of organic matter each year.

Click here to find out how to improve your garden soil.

Small seed are more of a fiddle than larger species and they certainly present a challenge. If you are struggling to sow small seeds take a look at our article for some handy hints and tips to get the best germination rates.

Click here for tips on how to sow small seeds.

There are 3 really good reasons to install a drip irrigation system in your garden - it will save you time, water, and money. Drip irrigation systems are far more efficient than watering with a hose or sprinkler system as they deliver the water to the base of the plant - precisely where it is needed.

Click here to find out how to set up a drip irrigation system.

This sturdy 3 tiered planter makes a fabulous addition to your patio. Planted up with fuchsias, pelargoniums or your favourite summer bedding, it will form a cascading display of colourful blooms.

Click here to find out how to set up a 3 tiered planter.

Garden weed control presents a seemingly endless campaign for the gardener, and different weeds require different methods of attack to triumph over them. It’s always tempting to reach for the herbicide but there are lots other ways to stop these pesky garden intruders.

Click here to find out how to control weeds in your garden.

Our native wildlife is under pressure like never before - from erosion of habitats, climate changes and diseases such as that affecting bees. But with a little effort we can all do our bit to help.

Click here to see our top tips for encouraging wildlife in your garden:

Raised beds are fantastic for those with heavy clay soil and will take the bending out of gardening! They drain well and will warm up much faster in the spring, giving you earlier crops. Raised garden beds can be used to grow both flowers and vegetables, and with our easy-to-use raised bed kits you can create a growing area in minutes.

Click here to discover how to grow plants in raised beds.