Spinach is best grown as quickly as possible with regular liquid fertilising.
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It does not keep well so should be harvested as required while baby spinach is ideal to grow in pots.
Capitalise on caulis
Cauliflowers have a delicate flavour and when home-grown the taste is even better.
Don't waste the stems and leaves - use them in soups and stocks.
Avoid planting new seedlings in beds where broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower have been grown for at least two years to reduce the risk of plant diseases.
Beans are good growing companions as they add nitrogen to the soil which benefits the cauliflowers.
Perfect parsnips
Parsnips are best grown through the winter because the cold weather and frosts trigger the starch in the roots to convert to sugar thereby improving the sweetness and flavor.
To avoid disappointment it is essential that only fresh seed be sown.
A bitter pill
Bitter pip in apples occurs on half-grown fruits or when they are in storage.
Symptoms appear as small dark spots just beneath the fruit's surface which develop into small depressions making the fruit bitter and inedible.
Bitter pip is generally caused by fluctuating soil moisture, a deficiency in calcium and high nitrogen levels. Marked changes in the weather can also play a part.
To control, spray the trees with calcium chloride in spring to early summer.
At least four sprayings will be needed with the last spray about a month before harvest.
Nature's exhibitionists
Azaleas love to show off their beautiful blooms and if planted in a free-draining loam soil and sheltered from the hot afternoon sun they will never fail to please you.
Organic compost can be used as a mulch.
If deficient in plant food a specific fertiliser will take care of this problem.
The soil must be acidic and lime should never be used on the soil near these plants.
Hanging around
If you have problems growing plants in hanging baskets that are exposed to frost in winter and harsh sun in summer a native plant may be the answer.
Brachyscome multifida is one that looks stunning in a basket with its fine green foliage and predominately blue daisy-like flowers.
Similarly prostrate forms of the melaleuca family are mostly very hardy, but may require a little pruning to keep in shape after flowering.
Alternatively you could try Myoporum parvifolium, the dwarf native myrtle, which always makes a lovely feature with its masses of starry white flowers in spring.
Then there's Sollya heterophylla with its pretty blue or white flowers followed by attractive blue berries.