Ready yourself for a full on assault on the garden in March, in no time it will be April and spring will have caught you by surprise. A sensible thing to do is to check your tools and your supplies. Look at tool handles and heads, supplies of fleece and netting (beloved of mice) and order anything that has been damaged or needs replacing. Start washing pots and trays making sure that all hibernating slugs and snails are removed.

Here are some important tasks to do at this time of year. Some you may have done already but its not too late to catch up with them now.

VEGETABLES
Plant early potatoes, onion sets, broad beans and any perennial vegetables such as asparagus. Other perennials such as rhubarb, globe artichokes or cardoons may be divided now.

Avoid sowing small seeds like carrots and parsnips until the end of the month as rain cools the soil and a wet period could see them rotting. Add compost or well rotted manure to areas that have not had any over the winter.

Sow sweet peas in the glasshouse and all the other flower and vegetable crops that need to be raised indoors such as cucumbers, melons, celery and celeriac.

PRUNING
All fruit pruning must be finished this month in case a dry, warm spell starts things into growth. Any fruit tree planting should also be completed in February.

BORDERS
Fork up areas of the herbaceous borders where no spring bulbs are planted and apply mulch where possible. Divide any herbaceous perennials and replant with compost. Don't forget to water in however wet the ground.

LAWN
Finally, when it does warm up, get to work on the lawn and scratch out as much moss as possible before giving it as good top dress with compost.