IT'S that time of year when garden centres and shops are overflowing with bedding plants — and the temptation is too much for some of us.

You will find many places selling "plugs", very small young plants that you can grow at home.

If you are tempted to try these, my advice would be to make sure you get off to a good start by buying good quality, healthy plants.

They are usually sold just at the point where they need to be potted on, so be ready to do this within two or three days of buying them.

Before potting, water them well from below by standing the tray in a container of water for about half an hour, then taking it out and allowing the excess to drain away. Be careful not to damage the plugs when removing them from the "cells"; it's best not to just pull them by the leaves but to ease them out by gently squeezing from below.

Use a peat-free compost suitable for bedding plants. I prefer to pot them into 7cm or 9cm pots in order to grow them on to a suitable size for planting out.

You could, however, plant them straight into the containers that are to be their final destination, if you have enough room.

Ideally, they need to be in a cool greenhouse or conservatory. Don't keep them too warm or this will make them grow too fast. The plants must not go outside until risk of frost has passed so, for most of us, this will be towards the end of May.

Harden them off for two weeks to get them acclimatised before planting them in their final position.