THE fruit of strawberries is swelling fast, with the first few king fruits ripened, although these tend to be for the blackbirds - just a little peck to taste, but it deems the fruit worthless.

Still, we expect over a ton of fresh strawberries over the next month. Yes, the blackbirds get the first few, but after that there is plenty.

We grow two varieties - both relatively new and bred for their taste, quality and yield. Fenella starts first, followed by Elegance which comes in a week to ten days later.

We grow our strawberries on table tops, which means the crop is at waist height, so eliminating the need to bend down, knee stains, backache and, of course, they are away from the dreaded slugs and snails.

The table tops are not really tables, but are two wooden rails running parallel 15cm apart and then fixed on posts about 80cm above the ground. Strawberry grow bags are placed on the rails.

We use a heavy grade waiting bed runner which is a normal runner produced in June and July and then grow on in special beds until the following season which produces a heavy grade runner. It is the thickness of the neck of the runner that determines the yield which is vital in calculating the viability of the crop.

Field grown strawberries are not viable these days which is why you have to travel miles and miles to find pick you own (PYO)strawberries.

We plant ten heavy grade waiting bed runners in one standard 1m strawberry grow bag. Given a good growing season from a mid March planting we expect around 500 grams of fruit from each runner or 5kg of fruit from each grow bag.

Using this method we can calculate yield and viability of the crop, of course providing the sun shines and the crop is grown and picked well.

As soon as flowering begins in late May we increase the feeding especially potash and micro-nutrients in order to enhance the quality and taste.

Gledstone Gardens is just over 200m above sea level so our crop tend to start around the end of June and through July. Many people start inquiring in April and May thinking our strawberries will be ready. Quite understandable as UK strawberries are in the shops then, but these will be glasshouse or poly tunnel grown and not natural outdoor crops.

The crop is replanted each year in March as the yield significantly drops away in year two and even more so in year three. This would not be viable for us, but would be perfectly feasible in the garden or non commercial set up. We sell off the grow bags complete with

plants for naturalising in the garden or allotment during August.

Have you noticed the amount of hydrangea flowers there are this year?

They are going to be spectacular mop heads and lace laps, normally a treat you see when visiting the coast rather than here in the Dales, where we get just a few sparse flowers. If you have ever wondered why this it you only have to think about this winter's weather. It has been very mild, with little or no hard air frosts to talk of. It is the winter frosts that destroy the tiny initiated flower bud which is sitting in the big fat dormant growing tips. Near the coasts we have milder winters and these flower buds tend not to be damaged.

Leave the mop head flowers at the end of summer on the plant and they will offer some protection to the dormant growing tips during the winter.

The harsher winter climate we live in, the more difficult it will be to have flowering hydrangeas. Cleverly plant breeders have now overcome this problem by breeding varieties that produce flowers from the new season's growth therefore, winters do not affect flowering. These varieties are branded with the name Forever and Ever, quite apt, although also quite expensive.

You may also have noticed that many hydrangeas are purples and blues near the coast. This is because the soil types are different and contain a lot of aluminium sulphate, the mineral responsible. If you want these colours then buy a white, pink or red hydrangea and treat the soil with iron sequestrin.

This time of year roses need a regular dead heading, a good summer feed, and a watchful eye on aphids, rust and black spot - the scourge of roses.

In the days when homes and industry burnt coal, and the air was full of smoke and sulphur these fungal diseases were controlled by our bad air quality. I think I would rather the clean air.

Here's a growing tip: roses like warm heads and cool feet, so if planting into a patio pot, choose a ceramic pot over a plastic pot and use a John Innis-type compost. These two simple actions will help keep the root zone cool in warm summers and ensure a much better result.

Watch out for vine weevil this time of year. They are difficult to see as they tend to emerge in the evening and night. It is handy too use a torch when looking as their black, purple body reflects. It is easier to identify the pest by looking out for U-shaped bites taken out of the

foliage which can be a centimetre across. These bites in the foliage tend not to harm normal healthy plants and should only be looked for as an indicator of the pest.

It is the grubs that emerge from the eggs, normally laid in the soil around the root area that do the real damage. These grubs are about a centimetre long and feed on the roots of the plant and can do a lot of damage.

Treatment is by a drench of vine weevil control into the soil or compost around the plant which is quick and effective. We incorporate a control into our compost when potting which gives us effective control on our nursery.

.