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turned plots and beds.While some of my neighbours have only just started digging their plots, others already have theirs ready. Annoyingly, at the entrance to our allotments is the most pristine and well-managed plot of them all. Every time I drive past

It's this time of year when the allotments become a frenzy of activity. Everyone is digging, composting and manuring like mad. My neighbours Mr and Mrs Ron wait until Easter, then till and plant their three plots within a week. The rest of us just

The recent sunny weather has been a godsend on the plot, as I've been able to get on with some much-needed digging. It was great to have a couple of weeks working in the sunshine.We've all felt the benefits of the good weather - spirits have been

I don’t like waste, so digging dandelions from the lawn last week got me thinking about the value of weeds. Dandelions are hardly the master of disguise, revealing their position in the lawn with brilliant yellow flowers. I used a long-bladed, old

the date when the first frost arrived last year - but I’m not, so I have absolutely no idea. Sorry. Anyway, things to do now the frost has finally arrived…First, this is the time to dig up dahlia tubers and bring them in for the winter. The foliage will now

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

I love mulching, and my soil loves it too. Not that I'd admit this in public, but I think it's partly the lazy gardener in me that chooses mulching over digging - it's a far easier way to incorporate bulky organic material into soil.Yes, there's a

'glove question'. My reflections are prompted by having such cold fingers that I've had to dig out my fingerless Scrooge gloves in order to make typing easier.On one side of the glove debate is the very sensible Rachel de Thame argument that if doing

are often higher than those for sports like football and rugby.Gardening injuries are horribly common. They normally happen in spring, when the first sunny day of the year inspires hours of weeding, pruning and digging after a winter of sitting on the sofa

Potatoes will grow very quickly under warm and moist conditions. When they are 10cm tall, the leafy shoots can be mounded around with soil to their full height, a process known as 'earthing up'. Earthing up potatoes will increase the length of underground stems that will bear pot...