Plant an early summer basket

If there is space in the greenhouse or conservatory, why not plant up a basket now for early summer colour, says Kris Collins. Nothing marks the summer season like a hanging basket flowing with vibrant colour, and it's easy to get a head start on your summer colour by planting baskets up now and keeping them warm and sheltered in the greenhouse until all threat of frost has past. By gradually hardening off plants off towards the end of May – setting them outside during the day and bringing back under cover at night – you'll have full baskets of summer blooms weeks ahead of your neighbours.

I'm sticking with traditional basket favourites including lobelia, geranium, fuchsia and petunias for filling my basket but do experiment with any small summer flowering plants of your choice – as a general rule use one plant per inch of diameter on your basket. So if you use a 16' (40cm) basket, you’ll need 16 plants to fill it.

I’ve saved my experimentation for the planter itself – as well as a few traditional baskets I'm trying a vertical planter from Polanter (polanter.co.uk) which manufacturers claim makes baskets a thing of the past. I'll let you know if I believe the hype at the end of the season. Cut down on watering by adding water retaining gel to compost before planting

Fruit baskets
Hanging baskets are not solely the reserve of flowers. In recent years many gardeners have cottoned on to their suitability for a host of fruit and veg varieties. Tomatoes, peppers, dwarf peas and beans and even gourds and squashes will grow happily in a hanging basket, but any small trailing veg variety can be experimented with and herbs too. I have space for all these crops in the greenhouse and beds but I am trying my luck with a strawberry hanging basket this year. Plant 5 or six plants in to a 14in (35cm) basket, first adding slow release fertiliser to the compost. Any strawberry variety will suit these growing conditions, for a comprehensive list of varieties see kenmuir.co.uk or call 01255 830181.

Step by step
Planting a floral hanging basket
1) Line your basket and half fill with compost, add slow release fertiliser and water retaining granules and water in. if there are no planting holes cut slits for side plantings.
2) Insert side plants root first, from the outside of the basket. You can wrap the rootballs in plastic so they pass through the liner undamaged.
3) Fill basket with compost to within 1in (2.5cm) and plant up the surface with remaining plants. Water well and hang or sit it in the greenhouse before hardening off next month.