Original Down East

The very first rule is to adopt good cultivation practices. The organic approach to gardening - feeding the soil instead of the plant - produces much stronger growth that is, firstly, not so attractive to pests and diseases as the soft lush-ness of a force-fed plant and, secondly, able to cope with an attack if it does occur.

Keep the garden as clean and tidy as possible. Never leave rubbish lying around. If you've been weeding, put the waste on the compost heap straight away. If you've been thinning seedlings, this is even more important because insect pests are often attracted by the smell of the bruised stems.

Put on healthy plant waste on the compost heap. Destroy any plants that show any signs of disease. Much the same rule applies to prunings from the fruit trees. They are quite likely to be infected with diseases, so are best destroyed. You can use the ash as a fertilizer.

Use only pots and seed trays that have been thoroughly cleaned and, if possible, sterilized with boiling water or steam. Keep your greenhouse clean too and, if you do see a sign of a pest or a fungus on a leaf, pick it off straight away and get rid of it in the garbage can.

Make a habit, especially in the summer, when pests and diseases are most likely to appear, of walking round the garden at least once a day. Take a hoe and a plastic bag with you. Remove any errant weeds with the hoe, but above all, keep an eye open for the first signs of attack from pests and diseases. If you see signs of mildew or you find a caterpillar - pick it off immediately, put it into the plastic bag and then the garbage can. The first attack of aphids can often be removed by simply rubbing them stem of the attacked plants with your finger to squash them.

It is of vital importance to ensure that your plants are healthy when you first buy them. It is only too easy to buy in a load of trouble in the form of virus or fungus diseases or even pests or their eggs. Some plants are covered by a certificate of health from the Government. In many countries it is possible to ask for a certification number to show that the plant you are buying is free from disease. Many fruit trees and seed potatoes come within such schemes.

Check ornamental trees, shrubs, herbaceous perennials and even annuals carefully before buying them; reject anything that shows the slightest sign of disease or pest attack, or of physical damage.

Examine bulbs, corms and tubers closely. They should be firm all over and the skins should be fairly well intact. A loose skin can often mean that the bulb has become shrivelled.