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by beans, courgettes, scrummy spuds and tomatoes galore...etc etc, and of course to be enjoying the national outbreak of slugs!!

into mush. All those beans, squashes and lettuces that still thought they had some go left in them will have turned up their toes. Hah, their next stop is the compost bin! But the rain was relentless so a quick inspection after work is all I've had time for

then pollinate plants such as runner beans and strawberries. Borage also attracts blackfly, which then theoretically leave the other plants alone. Equally, when planted near tomatoes, it's said to attract pollinating insects, increasing yield, as well

, tomatoes, beans and peas. Ornamental plants, especially roses and delphiniums, are also affected. This abnormal growth has been attributed to a weedkiller, which is widely used by farmers on grassland to kill broad-leafed weeds, such as chickweeed, fat hen

crops - they're unstoppable. Everywhere I look, they seem to be lurking in every damp spot, under every leaf and even - to my horror - hanging off bean leaves several feet from the ground. I can't seem to move without finding an enormous slug. I've stood

revived, enthusiasm has soared and the plot is looking rather good. I've done an awful lot of clearing and weeding and now I've started digging over the raised beds. Garlic, broad bean and autumn onion set planting is only weeks away, so I thought I might

aminopyralid, which distorted and sometimes killed crops. Plants most affected included potatoes and tomatoes, peas and beans, carrots and lettuce. Aminopyralid is slow to break down, so it seems likely that it could cause problems for some years.So, to give

of a sudden, without rhyme or reason, I feel I've had enough. Out come the bean poles, then goodbye sunflowers and good riddance courgettes.Then there's the question of what to do with the glut of tomatoes. This year I decided to invest in a passata

to dig up half my flower garden to accommodate them all!My personal nominations for the list include:1. Courgette 'Tromboncino'2. Dwarf French Bean 'Maxi'3. Mangetout 'Oregon Sugar Pod'4. Sweetcorn 'Rising Sun'5. Watercress 'Aqua'And if I had to pick just

. If it sits proud it easily dries out and restricts access for roots.Old card toilet roll tubes are my favourite. They're the perfect size for sowing peas, beans, sweetcorn and many other large crops. Being that little bit deeper than small flower pots