At last - some time in my garden!

The problem with loving your garden is that your enthusiasm isn't always shared by those who you love.

Hence me and the Long Suffering have a sometimes terse approach to what to do in our spare time. Let me tell you, the minute she finds herself with a few hours in hand she's off down the local shops as quick as you like.

Me?

I'd rather have toothache than traipse round the shops.

However, sometimes you just need to bank a few Brownie Points - which is how I came to be spotted whistling a tuneless song in some God-forsaken concrete bunker masquerading as a shopping centre over the last two weeks.

Now, though, having got myself firmly on the side of the righteous, it's time to turn my attention back to my garden - and I've already planned my weekend's tasks.

I'll be mulching my woody plants with around 3 inches of mulch -using the leaves provided by my own trees. So, I've plenty of raking to do this weekend.

Most of my tender plants will start being moved inside - making sure the leaves have been washed off to dislodge unwanted guests.

I then start to empty and store any pots, such as terra cotta or bird baths that might break when water freezes in them.

And then it's really just a quick tidy up. Raking up garden debris is essential to prevent the spread of insects and diseases. In addition to physically carrying away the insect eggs with the gathered debris, depriving insects of winter habits helps to control them. Fallen fruit and rotting vegetables will also get cleared away. Pots will be stacked, and anything that could shelter over-wintering snails will be put away.

Finally, on Sunday afternoon, it will be yet another final cut of the lawn. God knows how many times I've said that - "I must give the lawn a final cut" - only to find another half inch of growth a week later!

Watch your seeds

As many as 99 per cent of the seeds in packets are dead, according to a report published by the Consumer magazine Which?

The watchdog tested flower and vegetable seeds from 15 suppliers and found that only six companies met industry standards. The worst offender was Edwin Tucker and Sons Ltd with the test results showing that 99 per cent of its delphinium seeds were dead with the other one per cent unhealthy.

Now, obviously there’s is no way of knowing which seeds are healthy until you have planted them, but here’s my tips for minimising the risk:

Only buy your seeds fresh from a supplier you know well

Make sure you keep them out of the sun

Plant a selection of sizes to get a better range of qualities

And, of course, for the best chance of achieving gardening success – use Rootgrow. I keep telling you!

Well even a gardener gets a day or so off you know!

I had a cracking couple of weeks last month - two weeks with my sister Dolly in Littlehampton where, I have to admit, I did absolutely nothing in the garden. In fact I didn't do an awful lot other than ferry her and the long-suffering backwards and forwards from shops and fancy stately homes and the like. I enjoyed a couple of bottles of ale now and again - but, to be honest, I've had a long old summer and I wanted a break.

The chaps at Rootgrow do work us hard you know – but I have to say that on my return I was looking forward to getting back into work and gardening mode - and then the lurgy struck! So, I've been on extended leave whilst my old bones and body get back to normal.

In the meantime, I've chucked a few shillings at the local kids to keep my old grass under control - and now that I’m back to fitness, I'm looking forward to a few weeks hard graft to prepare the place for what could be a long old winter.So what's on my list of things to do?

Well, I've been planting my spring bulbs - a nice mix of daffs, crocuses and hyacinths will be dug in this week. I'm also looking for my lad to bring me back some nice tulip bulbs after his little jaunt in Amsterdam this week. God knows, what state the bulbs - or he - will be in, but I'll take my chances! And naturally, I'll be using my staff perk - and putting a healthy dollop of Rootgrow in with them. Now, you watch those beauties grow!!

I've been sharpening the pruners too, to start attacking my roses - cutting back old flowering stems and tying in new shoots to the support. I've sown some sweet pea seeds in pots and these will go in my cold frame for the winter.

There's still plenty of goodies left in my garden too - and I'll be digging up more carrots, spuds and leeks for storage. Mind you, I only store the perfect specimens - my golden rule is to never store any produce showing signs of damage or infection.

The long-suffering has got one of those fancy cookbooks by some foreign bloke - and she now wants a load of herbs - so I've had to promise that I'll grow her some for use next year. So, into the greenhouse goes some Basil, Parsley and Oregano. I've told her she can start by using some of that mint and rosemary that's been around for years without her touching it. You can tell that I'm not a fancy food man can't you?

So that little lot will keep me busy for the next week or so.

Hard life isn't it?