How to not kill your plants and enrich your soil

Gardening jargon-busting, top tips to start growing plants and prepare your soil.

With spring in ‘full flow,’ along with a few rays of sunshine and it being National Gardening Week (2-8 May), our urge to prepare our Yorkshire gardens for summer is also blooming.

Here are some top tips from Yorkshire gardening expert Lee Furness:

“The month of May means the sap is rising and Spring is in full flow, flowers are blooming everywhere, garden centres and DIY shops are offering their annuals and vegetable seedlings,” said Lee who now lives in Sheffield after spending the first part of his career tending an orchid plantation abroad.

Lee Furness shares his top gardening tipsLee Furness shares his top gardening tips
Lee Furness shares his top gardening tips
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But it’s not just orchids that are difficult to maintain, growing seedlings can be too.

He said: “These are all tender plants grown under glass and as soon as you put them out they will die off with the faintest glance of frost, and those retailers will be overjoyed to sell you some more plants to replace them.”

Lee, who now gardens for a hobby while running businesses, said you can buy seedlings if you plan to place them out in a greenhouse or in a cold frame or sheltered area.

“Otherwise wait till nearer the end of the month,” he warned.

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When you do decide to buy seedlings whether it be now or at the end of May, he has these tips for ensuring the last of the frost doesn’t destroy your efforts.

He added: “You can plant your seedlings but you must keep an eye on the temperatures at night and if you see a low temperature heading your way you can cover your seedlings with bubble wrap or horticultural fleece.

“Of course you will have to weigh it down so it doesn’t blow away.”

How do you enrich your garden soil?

“If you haven’t already, now is the time to enrich your garden soil,” said Lee.

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He advised to “dig over your soil, pull out the weeds and cover with garden manure.”

You can buy manure from garden and DIY Centres which you can put straight onto the garden. If you get manure from a local stable then make sure its well rotted.

Lee added: “Remember healthy soil leads to healthy plants.”

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Gardening: Jargon busting

Manure is generally horse poo (but could be other types of poo if you live near a zoo) mixed with straw and has to be well rotten.

Compost is a mix that is balanced for PH and the right nutrients for your plant pots and you can use it right out of the bag. This is sterilised, not smelly and no poo.

Different types of composts explained:

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Seed compost is weaker in nutrients so as not to burn the seedlings.

General purpose compost is too strong for sowing seeds.

General purpose compost is perfect for most potting plants

Ericaceouse Compost is great for Azalia, Camellia, Rhododrndron and Blue Berries

You will find some composts made with Soil (John Innes) others with Peat and others with Coir (Coconut husk).

“Generally speaking they all work well but we shouldn’t be using peat compost any more as this is a finite resource that is running out and takes millions of years you replenish,” added Lee.

For more from Lee, go to: http://yorkshirefamilies.co.uk/ and watch him at https://youtube.com/channel/UCEHU36AQlxhDacD5NQkRW2w