Haxnicks RollMix Rollable Compost Bag £15.99
Home composting has never been easier, quicker or more fun than with the RollMix™ Composter!Simply add the specified mix of organic waste from the simple how-to instructions included on the reverse of the pack.The polyethylene fabric traps heat, and by adding water and rolling, it is possible to make your own compost within 6 weeks.With your rich, nutritious compost you can top up raised beds, add to the base of plants and even use as a peat-free potting compost.

This is useful if you live in a rented property and don’t want a permanent long term compost container or have limited space.

I can see this being incredibly useful – imagine turning out good quality home made compost every six weeks! Rolling this looks easier than turning a huge compost bin full of material.

I have spent the weekend on my allotment. I aquired some old scaffolding boards last week so we have been putting them round beds. It’s hard work though! I’ve also done some digging over – have got my onion bed almost ready and have weeded another bed too! Am starting to think about potato planting too!

Deadheading bulbs – do you deadhead your bulbs? If you do then you stop them making seeds and allow them to put their energy into the bulb which means they should be stronger than ever next year!

Set a budget – and save up whilst you’re assessing the garden, so when you’re finally ready you have some money to help you put your plans into action.

If you want to do hard landscape changes then do you have the skills you need, or will you have to rope in family members, or pay someone to do the work? If you want a new lawn then are you able to prepare the soil yourself and lay turf, or would you prefer to sow seed?

Your lawn might look in a bad state when you move in, but regular cutting will keep weeds down. Your flower beds might need weeding but take care that you’re not pulling up plants. If you are very lucky the previous owners will have left you information about plants in the garden. If not then you’ll have to try to identify them as best you can. Often neighbours can give you information about plants – especially those with nice gardens! Most gardeners are nice and friendly and will offer you help if you have basic questions.

Of course, after a year you might decide that the garden is perfect for you and be happy to leave it as it is. This would be a good outcome! No hard work or expense planned and you’ve got a garden you can use!

The idea of bedding plants is to provide a seasonal change of appearance to
your garden. Ensure you have got the right bedding plants for the season. There
are two main seasons for bedding plants. Summer plants which you buy in late
winter if you are growing on, or late spring if you are buying them garden ready.
Winter plants which you buy in autumn for planting. The varieties are different
with many of the summer bedding plants not being frost hardy which means they
can be damaged by a late frost. Winter plants should be very hardy though and
easily cope with frosts.

Make sure you plant your half-hardy plants out after the last frost. If you’re
not sure when the date is then it is worth asking neighbours who grow lots of
plants in their garden. The last frost date is usually earlier in the south
of the UK and later in the north, with the start of June being considered about
right for Northern parts.

Feeding the plants to get them to flower more is an excellent idea. Buy a high
potash fertiliser and read the instructions on the packet. You usually feed
every two to three weeks but some products allow you to feed a more dilute version
of the fertiliser every day as you water.

Watering is important too. Check the individual plant recommendations as some
plants prefer the soil dry. Plants that come from hot countries originally tend
to prefer hotter drier weather. Plants in hanging baskets and tubs though will
need more watering as there is less soil for the plants to root into looking
for water. Failure to water hanging baskets often enough will result in plants
dying. If this happens then you can replant the basket with any remaining bedding
plants that you happen to have left over. Adding water retaining products to
the basket is a good idea. Baskets are especially vulnerable as they have a
smaller volume of soil to retain water and they are up in the air and subject
to more wind which can aid evaporation.

Slugs can be a problem eating your tender bedding plants. There are treatments
available which you water on and they kill all slugs for many weeks. Whilst
expensive they are cheaper than having to replace all your plants. If you want
to grow hostas then a slug treatment is sometimes the only way to allow the
plants to get established enough.

If you put sun-loving plants in a shady area of your garden then they will
not do as well as if they were in a sunny part. Planting in the sunniest areas
of your garden will give you the best chance of fantastic flower displays. There
are shade loving plants suited for shady corners. If you have no flower beds
in sunny areas then either put a bed in if you have lawn, or create tubs and
flower boxes on paved areas in the sunshine.

I have this in my garden. It’s a close up of the end of a spikey succulent. Low growing but spreads easily. Think it has yellow flowers. Suspect it’s a sedum but will take a photo of flowers in summer for an ID.

Find your nearest Freecycle group in the UK here (It’s also international)
We’ve used it to get rid of plants, an old lawnmower, and even rocks!
Polite reasonable requests always go down better with people. Ask for something too extravagant and people will think you’re being cheeky.