Choosing a good site for your melons is essential

A sheltered sunny and warm spot will encourage growth and fruiting.

Melons originate from tropical regions, but it is possible to grow them in the UK. The key to success with melons is to start them off indoors, before planting them out in late May or early June. Sow the seeds on their sides they are less likely to rot
away, (1/2″) deep in (3″) pots filled with sieved potting compost.

Put a clear plastic bag over each pot securing with string or rubber band, then place them in a sunny position. Remove the bags once the seedlings have emerged, and keep the potting compost moist but not wet.

Preparing outside melon plot

Choosing a good site for the melons is essential, a sheltered sunny warm spot will make a huge difference to growth and fruiting. The soil should be free draining, as the tender plants hate to sit in cold wet ground. You will need to dig in well rotted homemade compost and add fertilizer to the area.

Once temperatures have increased and the risk of frost has passed you can plant the melon seedlings outside, taking care not to damage the roots. Given the right conditions the plants should start growing straight away, if temperatures are low at night cover with horticultural fleece. Once the melon plants start to flower give them a weekly liquid feed of high potash fertilizer like tomato feed with added seaweed.

Take a look at a selection of melon seeds from our vegetable seeds department

Parsnips can be temperamental vegetables to grow and there are a number of reasons why the roots fork.It can happen if you are growing the crop in a poor and stony soil, and can also occur if the ground is extremely rich in organic matter.

Ideally the earth should be sandy and you should incorparate some lime into it, a lack of lime can cause canker which can manifest itself as blotches on the roots.The seeds should always be sown directly in their final spot, if you grow them under cover first the disruption of transplanting them latter can also cause the temperamental roots to fork.

A good way to get around this is to grow your parsnips in drainpipes.This way you can change the soil each year and avoid any bacterial growth that leads to canker. Sink several 45-60 cm (18 inches 2 foot) long pipes into the bed, making sure they are stable.

Create a 60/40 mix of sand and soil, add a handful of lime and then fill up the pipes. Sow four seeds in each one and once they germinate thin to one seeding, you will need to water them regularly to avoid shallow rooting.You can also try growing F1 varieties that are resistant to certain diseases such as canker, EG:”Countess” or “Gladiator”.

Dont leave your vegetable plot empty this winter, all too often the vegetable plot is simply dug over and the soil left bare during autumn and winter.

Many varieties of traditional vegetables can be sown now and once they germinate, the young plants are quite happy to spend the colder months outside.Providing you with an earlier harvest than similar spring grown varieties.

Garlic is one of the easiest vegetables to grow and can be planted between mid to late autumn to provide a crop for next summer’s barbecue season. Split each bulb into individual cloves and plant them in a sheltered, sunny spot with well drained soil.Bury them with the pointed tips of each clove just below ground level and about 10cm (4 inches) apart.

A few weeks latter slender green shoots will appear and will remain through the winter months.In spring the garlic bulbs will begin to swell and with regular watering in dry weather, be ready for lifting in early summer.

Broad Beans Autumn sown broad beans are well worth the effort as they produce a slightly earlier crop than those started off in the spring, and are usually less prone to infestations by black bean aphids.

Choose a sunny spot with reasonably fertile well drained soil for your beans, create a trench 20cm (8 inches) wide and 5cm (2 inches) deep.Plant the seeds 15-20cm (6-8 inches) apart and then cover them with soil.If very wet or freezing weather is forcast protect your broad beans by placing cloches over the young plants.

In sheltered gardens try “Aquadulce” and “Super Aquadulce” which can be sown during October and November for picking in May and June.If your garden is vulnerable to cold weather and strong winds or you have limited space try “The Suttons” variety. More on Winter Vegetable Plot

You should not grow a vegetable in the same spot year after year.If you do these two basic problems are likely to arise.

1. Soil living pests and diseases which thrive on the crop will steadily increase and may reach epidemic proportions.
2. Continuous cropping with the same vegetable may lead to the levels of soil nutrients becoming unbalanced.

Crop rotation is the answer using a standard 3 year plan.

• A=Root Crops EG: beetroot, carrot, chicory, jerusalem, artichoke, parsnip, potato, salsify, scorzonera
• B=Brassicas EG: broccoli, brussels sprout, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, raddish, swede, turnip
• C= Others EG: aubergine, bean, capsicum, celeriac, celery, cucumber, endive, leaf beet, leek, lettuce, marrow, onion, pea, spinach, sweet corn, tomato

More on Crop Rotation

A list of jobs that need doing this month in your vegetable plot.

• Cut down asparagus foliage once it starts to turn yellow, then weed the bed and give it a mulch of organic material.

• Tidy up the rest of the vegetable plot, pulling up or cutting down harvested plants. Leave pea and bean roots in the soil where they will release nitrogen for the following crops.A neat plot is less likely to harbour diseases.

• Lift main crop of potatoes preferably on a dry day.Leave on the soil surface for an hour to dry and then put in a paper sacks out of the light.

• Plant garlic in the next month this will give a better crops than spring planting.

• Plant autumn onion sets as soon as possible so they can product good roots before the winter weather arrives.

• Cover outdoor tomatoes with clothes to speed up ripening.Remove canes and lay the plants on straw covering.

• Pick and freeze black berries and autumn fruiting raspberries.

• Plant strawberries now for a bumper crop next year.

Look at a wide range of Vegetable seeds  from MyGardenCenterOnline