With the arrival of autumn, I start thinking about preparing the garden for winter, most importantly ensuring the soil is protected. Here in the UK we usually have rainy, cold winters. Covering bare soil with a mulch or growing an overwintering crop helps prevent erosion and loss of nutrients by either insulating the soil from the elements or holding the soil in place through root growth.

It’s seed-sowing time so I thought I’d share my tips for successful seed germination. After a few years of trial and error with seed sowing, I’m getting excellent germination for almost all of my seeds. Here are the main things to consider when starting your seeds indoors…

Some seeds are always better off started in modules or individual pots, but we’re often advised to sow most flowers in seed trays and then ‘prick out’ seedlings to transfer into separate modules to grow on. I’ve struggled with seedling loss after pricking out and wanted to share what I’ve done to avoid this problem in case it’s helpful for anyone else.