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and produce much smaller bulbs. I know, I've tried it!Growing garlic is easy and hugely rewarding. You can plant it now or leave it until later on in the autumn or winter - whatever you like, it really doesn't matter. All that does matter is that the bulbs

I have a confession to make. After raving about the arrival of the purple sprouting broccoli and extolling the virtues of winter veg in my blog last week I realised that I had forgotten to mention red cabbages. Not only are red cabbages easy to grow

.However, this is not taking full advantage of the adaptability of this plant; it is a shrub that thrives on pruning. You hack a bit off and it will come back at you with ten new shoots. As a result it is easy to shape and can be used as a very effective architectural plant

on light levels. It's the constant temperature plus good light that encourages germination. The seedlings are growing in modular trays; this is a brilliant method that allows for easy transplanting into the garden as soon as the soil warms up. As the roots

outwards and buried to prevent tunneling. Failing that then you have to look after your plants until they are big enough to take care of themselves - easy if they are trees or shrubs but not so easy with herbaceous stuff.If anybody has any other ideas

, with little effort on my part.I don't know why I didn't grow asparagus, as it's really easy. Now I'll have to wait to next spring to plant some crowns, and then another couple of years before getting a decent meal out of them.

's important that all of a plant is enclosed within the copper - if leaves hang down and create easy bridgeheads for armies of molluscs then the copper ring might as well be made of marshmallow for all the good it will do.Anyway, all that's certain

lovely idea for mint. Apparently herbs that are frozen do lose some of their flavour but it's a really easy way to store them and it's worth a try. But what I really want to do is make basil oil - it's a beautiful, bright green, tasty oil which looks

, there is not an instant solution - it's not that easy to replace something that is 7' tall. It is the old Rabbie Burns thing about the best laid plans of mice and men etc.I have been scuppered by fate and the weather but there is always a silver lining somewhere. Other

not be easy with all my digits and limbs crossed!