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or outside, but require support and need their side shoots pinching out regularly.Plant growth and habit is only one characteristic, as fruit quantity, size, colour, quality and flavour are far more important. Now we get down to the nitty-gritty of choosing

This has been the best year for tomatoes in recent memory. I crammed 14 tomato plants into my greenhouse border, ignoring the advice of several knowledgeable friends to plant a maximum of eight!We've been feasting on tomatoes for weeks, regularly

they grow so well here, why are we importing them?If you look at the catalogues and garden centre displays, you'll see that most seed potatoes need planting from the end of March. Well, I'd recommend starting now. You can chit potatoes first but it

plans. Each plan contains an easy-to-follow growing calendar for 10 recommended crops. Simply choose which profile suits your circumstances best, and start sowing:• Allotmenteer• Container grower• Gourmet grower• New to the plot• Weekender

At last my achocha have been planted... later than I wanted, but time has been against me and I didn't fancy getting soaked in a July deluge! (Call this global warming?). I love the way unusual crops, like achocha, always get visitors to my garden

or espalier, try MM106 or MM116 rootstock. For larger trees, choose MM111. You can get smaller rootstocks such as MM26 and MM27, but these tend to produce a smaller crop of fruit with greater susceptibility to pests and disease.What are your favourite apple

This year I'm determined to only grow one variety of tomato. This is because my garden was overrun with tomato plants last year and I couldn't get onto my patio for growing bags and poorly staked cordons. So 2011 will see a more streamlined effort

to grow, and get started. A greater range of young plants and seedlings are now available than ever before, providing a good alternative to anyone who thinks sowing seed is tricky. However, you certainly pay for the privilege of buying plants compared