Hi all

Hope you are all well and enjoying your gardening.

I've found some gardening questions in some of the Sunday papers and thought it might be good to type them out and preview them on the blog, so here goes:

Question: Can you tell me how to grow Hamburg parsley?

Answer: Hamburg parsley is an unusual herb grown for its edible and parsnip like roots and parley flavoured leaves.  In mid March to mid April, select a sunny (or partially shaded) spot with a deep, reasonably stone-free and moist but well drained soil and sow the seeds in 1/2 inch deep drills.  Cover the area with clothes to speed germination.  Once the seedlings emerge, thin them to 9 inches apart and keep the ground weed free.  Spread a mulch around the plants in early summer.  Harvest the roots (as required) in the autumn and winter,  However, in freezing weather, protect the plants from cold damage by surrounding them with straw.

Question: How can I deal with patches of horsetails emerging in the garden?

Answer: Horsetail (Equisetum arvense) is a perennial weed with feathery, fern-like growth and erect, hollow and jointed stems.  It spreads by creeping underground rhizones, which can penetrate seep into the soil, making control extremely difficult.  This most reliable way of dealing with this weed is to cover the infested ground with heavy, light excluding mulch membrane, such as black polythene for 6-12 months.  Hide the surface of the unsightly polythene with a layer of bark chippings.  Alternatively, it is possible to eradicate small patches of horsetail by persistent hoeing and hand weeding, although this can be very time consuming.

Question: How do I turn some spare turves into topsoil?

Answer:  Grass turves that have been lifted to increase the size of ornamental borders can easily be left to rot down into a crumbly soil.  Select an out of the way corner of the garden and stack the turves upside down in a solid heap.  Do not use any turves that contain the roots of the troublesome weeds, such as ground elder and bindweed.  Cover the heap with a sheet of black polythene  and leave for 12 months.  The resulting soil will be ideal for topping up garden borders and raised beds, or for using in home-made compost mixes.

Question:  Last year my seed-grown oinions were poor, so this year I want to raise hem from sets.  What advice can you give me?

Answer:  Planting sets, or immature bulbs, is the most reliable way to grow onions.  In March or early April, select a sheltered or sunny spot with a light, well drained soil and thoroughly dig over the ground to remove all weeds and debris before raking the surface to a fine and level tilth.  Us ea trowel to create a series of small holes, 4-6 inches apart, and plant a single set in each one - the pointed tips should just be visible.  During the growing season, keep the are weed free and water the plants in dry weather.  The onions should be harvested in mid-summer when the leaves turn yellow and start to flop over.  Good varieties include the golden-skinned "Bulldog" and "Setton" and the white-skinned "Snowball".

The questions and answers were taken from The Sunday Times newspaper (London)

I hope you found these useful and when I find any more I'll be sure to post them on the blog too.

All the best

The Gardener