As winter eases and spring beckons, longer days bring the garden to life – and your growing year starts here…

Artichokes: Sow 13mm deep in a seedbed, with around three seeds per drill. Leave 25-30cm between drills and rows. You can sow in pots instead – just be sure to use good-quality compost. Asparagus: It’

Prepare a free-draining, sunny and weed-free bed to grow broad beans. Rake in blood, fish and bonemeal fertiliser to give the plants a boost. Plant the seedlings in a row, 15-20cm apart. Dig a hole an

Sow courgette and squash seeds now so you’ll have seedlings ready to plant outside in early summer. Fill pots or large module trays with peat-free multi-purpose compost. Place one seed in each pot, ab

There are some vegetables that thrive in the cold, but unless you aspire to self-sufficiency Tom Coward recommends caution when sowing very early in the year. “It’s a mistake, although we always do it

There’s magic in every seed – so start planting them today for a garden bursting with colour and buzzing with life