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Your support makes all the difference.What to do
Tomatoes grown from seed sown earlier in the year need to be pricked out into individual 8cm/3in pots, where they can grow on until they are ready to set outside at the end of May. You need a few different kinds, including a cherry such as 'Sweet Million' (Simpson's Seeds £1.80) and a pretty yellow-skinned one. 'Yellow Perfection' (Marshalls £1.75) gave me good results.
Prick out seedlings of annuals such as petunia and lobelia, setting them in a seed tray on a 6 x 4 grid.
Dead head daffodils. Instead of expending unnecessary energy in producing seed, they can build up their bulbs instead.
Remove old wood and overcrowded shoots from indoor abutilons.
Check that peonies, delphiniums and lupins which have already made lush growth are well staked before they start flowering.
Start canna roots into growth in boxes of moist compost. Like dahlias, they can't be set out until all danger of frost has passed.
What to buy
Until I had a greenhouse, I had no idea how addictive the accessories could be. Two Wests & Elliott (01246 451077; twowests.co.uk) produce a 115-page catalogue packed with stuff you never knew you needed – such as a wireless thermometer plus hygrometer, £31.95; a potting tidy, £15.70; and self-watering trays from £9.95
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