Dont dig the garden, growers told

Brits who wish their garden to flourish with minimal effort may be glad to hear one national newspapers suggestion that they avoid digging their soil.

According to the Times, this can lead to too much air getting in and drying out the ground.

Conversely, walking on sticky clay-heavy soils can compact them, stopping rainwater seeping through and leaving them prone to flooding.

As part of its "top tips for lazy gardeners" series, the newspaper suggested the best thing to do is to encourage worms – natures diggers – to work for you by providing regular layers of organic mulch.

This will help keep the soil aerated to optimum levels, while the worms will also leave behind a nourishing trail of droppings, which improves the quality of the dirt.

To avoid chopping up the insects, gardeners who do dig their ground should use a fork, rather than a spade.

Any digging should be done in autumn, allowing the winter frosts to break down any large clumps of earth.

Meanwhile, Horticulture Week has revealed that Which? has criticised online gardening stores, such as B&Q, for poor performance, compared to other internet retailers.