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them circling over the compost heaps up at the local allotments, or settled chewing bark on a tree trunk. Then a few days ago I saw one flying in the street, examining a Reliant Robin for some reason. My heart soared.They first appeared in the area

potager – a walk-through area with beds planted prettily with vegetables instead of flowers.But if you have a conventional veg patch or allotment, with crops grown at traditional wide spacings, try intercropping. The idea of this is to sow or plant quick

which he would plant two pumpkin plants. My sister and I eventually got pumpkins in time for Halloween, though mine was oblong (I didn't think he'd done such a good job).Twenty years later, I grew my first pumpkins on my allotment. I chose the F1 variety

Have you ever thought about gardening by the phases of the moon? I've been meaning to try moon gardening for some time, and now - thanks to the encouragement and guidance of a friend on the plot - I think I've mastered the rudimentary principles, which I'll pass on to you now.In ...

There's a simple way to find out which summer berries are worth growing: eat them! Everyone has different taste, so what appeals to one person may not to another, which is why on the weekend of the 3-4 July, RHS Wisley is inviting visitors to taste summer berries at the RHS Wisle...

I've just written a piece about a taste test I conducted on rhubarb for the November issue of Gardeners' World magazine, which includes a Top 10 of the best varieties for flavour. One of the things my editor had asked me to write about is how we taste fruit - the elements that go...

them as a fan, step-over, espalier or cordon), and will provide you with years and years of delicious home-grown apples.It’s a good idea to taste as many as you can before you commit to buying. Ask to sample fruits growing in friends’ gardens/allotments

. Alternatively, don't forget that many garden centres offer a good selection of young veg plants, so check these out too.Our Grow Yourself Healthy campaign aims to encourage people to grow more fruit, veg and other crops in their gardens and allotments

allotment and the bees did very well after their traumatic experience. I even witnessed a mated queen digging into the ground to hibernate.Luckily there was no duvet involved in last week's Operation Bumblebee. I went round just before dusk, so I could see