Check ties on cane, cordon and fan fruit. Tighten or loosen as necessary, and replace those that are broken or damaged.

Protect the blossom of early-flowering apricots, peaches and nectarines from frost damage by covering plants with fleece.

Hand pollinate flowers of apricots, peaches and nectarines if insects are scarce. A soft paintbrush or a rabbit’s tail, are the best tools for transferring pollen.

Pot-grown strawberries that have been in a cool greenhouse all winter should be placed outside, as they flower only after exposure to the cold. However, outdoor strawberries (already exposed to the cold) can be brought into the greenhouse to force them into fruit at warmer temperatures. Hand pollination may be necessary in cold weather.

Place cloches or fleece over outdoor strawberry plants for an early crop. Make sure to lift the sides of the fleece during the warmest part of the day, to allow pollinating insects to enter. High potassium feeds (such as tomato fertiliser) will also help to encourage flowers and fruit. Hand pollination may be necessary in very cold spring weather, when insects are scarce.

Prune autumn raspberries, cutting all canes down to the ground before mulching and top dressing with fertiliser over the roots.

Summer raspberries can be cut back to one or two buds above the tops of their supports (if they have overshot them), or they can be arched over and trained back down again, sometimes in attractive patterns.

This is a good time to plant new fruit trees and bushes, as long as the ground is not too wet, or frozen. Incorporate lots of well-rotted organic matter into the ground before digging the planting hole or trench.

This month bundles of bare-root cane fruit plants are available for sale. Only autumn raspberries can be planted without support. All other cane fruits need supports in place before planting. Posts with at least three tensioned wires stretched between them, is the commonest system.

Check that newly planted fruit trees and bushes have not been lifted by frost. Re-firm them in if necessary.

Apply a general-purpose fertiliser to all tree, bush and cane fruit, at the manufacturer's specified rates. Fertiliser is best applied over the whole root area of the plant (roughly equivalent to the spread of the branches, but on the ground). Extra potassium can be beneficial in addition to the balanced feed.

Mulch all fruit crops with well-rotted manure or garden compost.

A wide range of fruit trees, including apples and pears, can be grafted at this time.

Pest & disease watch

When pruning fruit trees, make sure you remove any dead or diseased wood, including spurs with mummified fruits (the result of brown rot infections earlier in the season), and take the opportunity to check for any cankers on the branches.

Net fruit crops to reduce pigeon damage, and to keep bullfinches off fruit buds (particularly gooseberries). Nets can be removed once flowering starts.

Erect a clear polythene rainproof cover over wall-trained peaches if you did not do so in January. This will help prevent peach leaf curl. Do not let the cover touch the plant and ensure it is in contact with the soil. Keep it on until April, but allow pollinating insects to enter by lifting the sides during the warmest part of the day.

Keep an eye out for early aphid attack on soft fruits, and deal with this appropriately, either by squashing small colonies, or by using pesticide on larger infestations.

This is the last month you can still apply fatty acid-based winter washes to dormant fruit trees. These washes may help to control overwintering eggs of aphids (see above), apple suckers and scale insects.

Regularly check fruit stores, and remove any rotting or mouldy specimens.

Check mouse controls near your fruit stores, to ensure they are still functioning.

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