Best of the bunch - Snowdrop (Galanthus)

The stems of these tiny winter gems emerge in mid-winter to produce delicate-looking white petals dangling down in their masses, either in woodland carpets or in pretty clumps here and there to bring welcome light to the scene.

There are more than 150 snowdrops listed and new varieties are being discovered all the time. They are perfect in drifts, happily colonising, their bulbs sub-dividing to thicken the clumps.

The most popular is Galanthus nivalis. All types prefer a moist soil, neutral or alkaline, and a position in partial shade. Some will flourish in complete shade.

They look lovely with other bulbs which flower simultaneously, such as aconites and Cyclamen coum, colonising under deciduous trees.

If you want a bulb which is slightly more showy, go for the double form G. nivalis 'Flore Pleno', 'Jacquenetta', one of the biggest snowdrops, or G. 'S. Arnott', whose flowers have a strong honey scent.

Good enough to eat - Chitting potatoes

Seed potatoes can now be bought in large bags from garden centres and mail order outlets, but if you have limited space or just want to try out a few, hunt out the centres which sell loose tubers by weight.

Extra early varieties of seed potatoes should be 'chitted' before planting out. You chit them by laying the potatoes rose end (where most of the tiny sprouts are) on newspaper in clean seed trays or old egg boxes on a windowsill or in a frost-free greenhouse, in a light position but not in direct sunlight.

In a few weeks, the shoots will grow, gaining strength while the soil is still too cold for them to be planted outside.

Rub off all but the four strongest sprouts and when they have grown to around an inch, chitting is completed. Don't plant them out until next month, though, as the shoots will take time to develop.

Three ways to... Increase your soil's fertility

1. Use a pH test kit to find out if lime is needed to counter excessive acidity. If so, add lime in the winter to allow it to work its magic before the growing season.

2. Add organic matter such as well-rotted compost or manure to your soil in the winter and dig it in, to allow air and food to circulate through the soil.

3. Use organic mulches around established plants to add nutrients, suppress weeds and reduce moisture loss during prolonged periods of dry weather.

What to do this week

:: Fork over vacant ground in beds and borders to prepare it for planting, if the ground is not too wet.

:: Mulch asparagus beds and clumps of rhubarb with well-rotted manure or compost.

:: Add lime to acid soil where brassicas are to be planted.

:: Prune outdoor vines

:: Take root cuttings of Oriental poppies, phlox and verbascum.

:: Plant lettuces under cloches.

:: Position rabbit guards around the trunks of young trees if damage is likely.

:: Plant Jerusalem artichokes when the soil is neither frozen nor sodden.

:: Germinate seeds such as begonias and pelargoniums on windowsills indoors or in the greenhouse.

:: Cover the ground with cloches where early crops are to be sown, to warm up the area before the seeds go in.

:: Cut back newly planted cane fruits and complete pruning of established fruit bushes.

:: As cyclamen flowers go over, remove the stems by given them a sharp tug, which should remove the whole stem.

:: Remove any wet leaves or other debris clogging up herbaceous perennials.