
Leaving soil bare to the elements for any length of time is a recipe for disaster. Soil structure is a delicate thing, and if it's pounded into a hard cap by relentless rain, baked by the sun and then colonised by tough, hard-to-eradicate weeds it's no wonder you struggle to get anything to grow
Read moreForce hyacinths and daffodils
Plant potfuls of hyacinths and paperwhite daffodils now to force for their sweetly-scented flowers in the middle of winter. You'll find specially-prepared heat treated bulbs on sale in the garden centre: plant into pots of bulb fibre, water and keep cool and dark until shoots appear. Move onto a sunny windowsill and enjoy.