Being very easy to grow and one of the very earliest of the fruits of the year, growing your own can be fun and rewarding.

The gooseberry comes in so many different varieties of plant and fruit from the large red gooseberries you often see in desserts to the small yellow sugary variety and some are more resistant than others to mildew. If you grow a few different varieties you may be able to prolong the picking seasons for your gooseberries.

Now is the ideal time for planting gooseberries, autumn months are always best. After you have dug over the sunny sheltered, spot in your garden, dig over the soil for a planning hole. Use rotted manure at the base of the hole along with general purchase fertaliser.

The bushes should be planted as bare roots and their roots should be spread out within the soil hole before covering with freshly fertalised soil.

Pruning
Pruning through the winter months is essential for gooseberries as they grow with many branches and can get quite out of hand so cutting the branches back regularly will help to balance the growth of branches to keep the centre of the bush as open as possible to make the fruit helps to form a balanced branch structure and keeps the centre of the bush open to make picking easier. Pruning encourages air to circulate around the plant which stops mildew and as the fruits will form from the old wood around the previous year’s growth so cutting back to 2 buds help them to grow. Shoots in the bush centre should be pruned away and leaders need to be cut away by a third.

Now is the first time you should start to consider harvesting your apples, they need harvesting in early autumn which is the last of the dying summer sunshine and just before the winter frosts set in and ruin the crop. So harvesting and storing your apples well, will mean you will be able to enjoy your apples throughout the whole of winter.

What should you do:

• In early September start picking your apples which is when they are at their most ripe and are pluck able easily from their tree by only needing to place you cupped hand under the apple, gently lifting and twisting once.

• Look closely at each apple you have picked and check for insects or bruising before cleaning them off with a cloth.

• Should there be any slight insect damage in the skin of the apple it is usually harmless, however, don’t attempt to store any fruit that is bruised because they will start to rot and will infect the others.

• After wrapping your apples within newspaper, put them on a shelf.
The variety of apple will determine the length of time the apples can be stored for. Generally speaking those apples that tend to ripen later in the year will tend to store better for longer periods of time than the earlier season’s varieties such as the ‘Discovery’ once this apple is picked it must be eaten immediately.

Keep your apples in a cool, but frost-free temperature, it will help them to store for many weeks even through the winter months. Either a garage or a well built garden shed would be good storage places for your apples.

Yes, it’s possible you CAN get home grown fresh salad throughout the cold winter months and not just in a window box but in your garden too. Just think how rewarding it would be if you plan it so you can be serving your own home grown fresh leaf salad to garnish you Christmas Family Dinner!

How can I get this then? Here’s how:

• From the end of August through to the middle of November make sure you grow the seeds. With continuous and regular seed sowings you can increase your chances of getting a good continuous crop rotation throughout the year.

• The soil has to be good to achieve the best results and keep crops retaining as many nutrients as possible so a warm and sunny but sheltered place in your garden should be prepared by digging the soil over, mixing in an extremely well richly rotted manure or rich garden compost. Giving the soil these necessary added nutrients helps it to retain moisture. Always rake over the spot for a fine finish.

• If you are wanting to use a container mix using potting compost using a pot or window box firstly, you need to prepare your mix container of the potting compost and leave flat, carefully place the seeds in shallow and short rows to each other, gently cover the soil, label and gently water to enable the seeds to take root.

• If you experience a sudden and sharp dip to the temperature which normally happens overnight, you should cover your seeds with a cloth to protect them from frost.

• Let the plant grow to about 15 centre meters and then slice off the whole head down to a stump of 3cm and wait for the new stronger, even more deliciously edible plant to re-sprout quickly.

As a gardener, you happily enjoyed spring, summer, but as the winter winds start to roll in more during the autumn months, you will start to find yourself putting away your gloves and gardening tools. However, before you wave goodbye to gardening, there are a number of things still to do.

Ground cover is an option for summer/winter gardening, there are so many ornamental ground covers available. The Ajuga is a hardy perennial / bugleweed and displays blue flowers in early summer amidst purple/green foliage, which lasts through the winter. English ivy is also popular ground covering and grows well anywhere, anytime.

If you are choosing to go with scented plants, try the Daphne shrub which has a potent perfume aroma which you will enjoy through all the seasons. The plant will produce pink or white flowers in early winter and yellow berries during hot, dry summers. The winter honeysuckle will also provide a pleasing scent and the cream-colored blossoms are stunning against its dark beautiful greenery, during late winter.

Rhododendrons are great bushes and some varieties bloom all year round. There are certain types of hardy hibiscus, which have also been known to blossom each season.

There are certain vegetables which can grow in both warm and cold weather. Amongst them is broccoli, lettuce, cabbage, peas and summer or winter squash. They even need little to no protection and will thrive in well drained soils.

Corner plantings which are likely to include taller shrubs or even small trees will screen back yards whilst blending into the garden as surrounding landscape. All shrubs in the entrance garden can be placed specifically where they won’t interfere with views or touch the house when they reach mature.

Avoid exceedingly symmetrical designs as they can end up looking boring. Garden designs should have the same weight of growth on both ends of the garden to balance it out well. Individual garden elements will consist of shrubs of various sizes, forms, and textures.

More simple designs can create the most successful gardens so limit the number of species of plants and paving used in your garden. You’ll have a much easier time tying your garden together too. You’ll also get the most from each element. Strike a balance and remember variety is also important.

Plan your garden on paper first before you begin any planting, this will give you something to refer to as you are planting to keep you focused. You need to know the mature height of all the plants you are using in your garden design. One of the most common mistakes is to make improper plant selection and placement. Another common mistake is over planting.
Your garden may look a little sparse in its early stages, but you will avoid overcrowding in the future. Be sure to place your shrubs in such a way that when they grow the foliage does not touch any of the structure. This will keep adequate air flow and prevent the growth of mold.

To emphasize a particular plant in your garden use contrasting shapes, colours and textures. For instance, large pale green leaves of a hydrangea will contrast nicely with the darker green needles of a pine.

Foundation plantings are traditionally intended to screen the ugly cement foundations of houses. This, however, is a bit short sighted.
Creating a welcoming entrance to your garden is a more appropriate way to go about designing these secluded spaces. Entrance gardens are important as they integrate houses and gardens with a surrounding landscape.

Entrance gardens should be open and welcoming. They may be used to draw attention to architectural details or even screen architectural flaws. When deciding what to grow in an entrance garden, avoid planting rapidly growing plants because they will quickly become obtrusive and outgrow their allotted spaces, blocking views and obstructing access. Entrance garden are normally the front garden for most homes and benefit from colourful plants and flowers which have all year round interest, such as evergreens and deciduous shrubs with a lot of colourful autumn foliage and berries in the winter.

Specimen shrubs, like interesting flowering deciduous or a dwarf evergreen, will work well in an entrance garden. Use any specimen shrubs sparingly in your garden if you do this to avoid too much of the same look which is uninteresting.

Shrubs which run between entrance and corners of houses are most effective when they are designed to be simple. The low growing shrubs will generally work best as they don’t block views from windows. Taller shrubs will require frequent pruning and may often result in awkwardly shaped plants.

Your perennial borders will peak by mid-summer just as a wider range of sun loving flowers start to bloom. With a mix now in your garden including leftovers from spring and nearing the end of the summer months, there will also be signs of the later blooming flowers too. Your annuals will also be in full bloom during mid-summer.

Then a third wave of beautiful blooms begin to brighten up your garden once again when the summer flowers start to fade. The colours in your garden now begin to change in the autumn with many perennials now blooming in fabulous shades of yellow, purple and orange. Amongst the autumn flowers are your annuals which continue to provide full flowers until first frost. Later again in the season, flowers such as sedum and black-eyed Susan change into brown and rust coloured seeded heads. They look stunning with the colourful foliage on the surrounding trees. Foliage of late season perennial is attractive just on its own.

Winter is the season which most gardeners will forget about their landscape but the garden can offer colour and a visual interest through its evergreen shrubs and bark, plant form and seeded heads.
The winter landscape would be quite empty without the hardy evergreen trees and shrubs. Garden walls and surrounding fences become even more prominent as foliage that had screened them in the summer disappears completely. So hedges along with walls, make a strong statement in winter.

With careful planning, it is now possible to have a stunning garden year round. Even in the winter months, when everything appears stark and barren.

All good gardens have just one thing mainly in common.

They offer something in terms of aesthetic natural beauty during each of the four seasons. So in spring as well as summer there are colourful perennials or annuals and beautiful flowering trees and shrubs which make a natural and pleasing focal point in the garden. Once summer flowers start to fade, the colorful autumn foliage will brighten the garden. During the winter, evergreens and trees with berries and darken bark will provide the garden with colour as the shape and form of plants and trees become more prominent against a stark winter sky.

In the spring, green is virtually always the dominant colour in the garden as new shoots and shrubs seem to be rapidly putting out new growth. Some bulbs and perennials that do flower in early spring will do so against the backdrop of rich, green foliage and brown soil. Bulbs are always the earliest blooming plants in the garden and essential to a spring landscape. Some bulbs will even give you colour until more of your perennials begin to bloom during May and June.

The early flowering perennials like Iris, will range in colour from a snowy white to yellow and to deep purple and also range in size from only a few inches right up to 4 feet. To ensure spring foliage, make sure to plant some hosta, they grow in a huge variety of greens, ranging from blue-green to yellow-green and make the most beautiful backdrop for spring flowers.

Gardening is getting more popular, it can be cheap and lots of fun as well, and if it is done regularly it shouldn’t need to take up a lot of your time. Plus, it’s a huge advantage for a homemaker to have a green thumb and a nice garden is always attractive to a buyer.
One of the most rewarding aspects of gardening is to start plants from seeds. Gardens can still be created today with very little money and some of the best gardens were created without any money at all.

Depending on the climate there are so many types of soil that can be used for planting. Look for a garden location that gets lots of sunlight, for a healthy garden your plants will need around six hours of direct sunlight and that’s every day.

When planting any new plants you will need to water them daily until the plant(s) get acclimated to their new environment. If any leaves show signs of starting to wilt, but the soil is still moist, you may be best to mist the foliage lightly. When to water depends on the weather conditions and more humidity means less watering. If plants are in pots, you will see the water seep from drain holes in the pot and the plant will feel “heavier” after it’s been watered. Roots showing around the edge of the pot are sign that the plant has outgrown its pot and needs a larger pot or to be planted into the garden or growth will become hindered.

If you are planning the design of your perfect garden, you need to have a clear picture before you start.

If you don’t have a garden at all, the first step is to determine where your garden will go, draw a map of your property identifying areas you are going to focus on. Then the ideas will start flowing as you realize there may be other parts of your property that you could turn into a garden.

A truly essential next step is to evaluate the true condition of your soil to determine what will need to be done. You can find good soil testing kits in most garden centres and using them will save a fortune because the last thing you want is to buy plants and shrubs that will not last in your garden. If necessary, you may need to purchase some new soil.

The next thing for your garden is how you plan to enclose it. You need some kind of border for your garden. Rocks are a popular border and add a professional and elegant touch for your garden project. Any fencing material and mulch or even small shrubs look nice to surround a garden as well. I enjoy using small pebbles mounding them around the border I’ve designated as my garden. I love coloured rocks for this purpose too. The border makes the difference between good and bad garden designs.

If for any reason part or all of you garden will not get rain water directly, you’ll need to see if it’s possible to redirect water or install a simple irrigation system. Make sure your garden won’t get too much water when it rains and look at simple drainage solutions.

Always consider lighting as a final touch it’s a special touch to add lighting to your garden at night because you get to enjoy your hard work in the night as well as the day. Speak to a garden centre to see what they suggest as the best options for your purpose.