Brian Kidd’s gardening jobs for the weekend

In the greenhouse plant some freesia corms. Plant five around the edge of a five-inch diameter pot and push in hazel sprays around the edge to support the foliage. Just imagine the perfume in 14 weeks time.

Buy curly kale seeds. This is the tastiest winter cabbage and looks good on the dinner plate –  and it's good for you! Sow the seeds in two weeks time.

Early carrots can be sown outdoors now. Prepare the ground by digging over the soil but do not add manure or compost. Ten days prior to sowing the seeds, rake in three ounces of blood, fish and bone fertiliser into the soil. Sow early varieties and immediately cover with insect barrier mesh bought from garden centres. 

 Before planting onion seeds, put the baby seedlings into a brown paper bag with some sulphur dust and shake the bag to cover the setts in dust. This is a simple way of preventing onion rot.