Regularly check apple trees for woolly aphis. It shows as white woolly threads on the leader stems and sometimes at the joints of trees. The aphides attach and suck on the sap of the trees. They create galls or swellings that weaken the tree and can allow other infections to develop. Use a tooth brush and methylated spirits to treat. One old remedy includes some shellac with the meths. Check for reinfestation weekly.

Pull out any unwanted suckers appearing on raspberries, don't cut them. Give mulch and apply a good fertiliser.

Spend some time hoeing and weeding around fruit canes, vegetables and bedding plants. Pulling weeds up by the root is easier after a shower of rain.

Cut grass regularly and spot persistent weeds with a good weedkiller.