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