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and turn a blind eye to other areas of the plot that need attention. My purple sprouting broccoli, for example, is now in full flower. I won't be using that bed until I'm ready to plant sweetcorn, so I may as well leave the blooming broccoli to provide

urge to grow and flower profusely.My idea back in the autumn was to plant it with a few salad leaves such as mustardand rocket that might overwinter and give us some early, spicy leaves to make a few winter salads, as well as some parsleyto keep us

The plot is abuzz with wildlife, including ladybirds, lacewings, bumblebees and ground beetles. They're all marvellous for my crops; bees increase my yields by pollinating flowers, and ladybirds and lacewings eat a lot of aphids. As well

dahlias. They looked stunning last week and now they’re a forlorn sight of drooping foliage and faded, floppy flowers.At least it didn’t take long to clear up, and all that sodden decomposing plant material will work wonders on the compost heap. And it

the seedlings out so they have enough room to grow properly. Turnips, swedes and the like are incredibly prone to bolting, going straight to flower without forming a decent edible root, if they're at all overcrowded. So, as soon as the seedlings are big enough

not deserve this apple tree because this year it flowered bravely in the spring. (I thought this was its final swansong and I can't tell you how guilty I felt - call myself a gardener!) So I still ignored it thinking it was still on its way out

it looks like. (We've had it where I work - very nasty - have to avoid growing onions and all alliums for years!I know that onion beds need to be kept weeded in summer or the onions become stressed and bolt, producing a flower spike that saps all

in the season.There are still some clumps of hairy bittercress, fresh new dandelions already sporting flower buds and a few docks looking obscenely lush and healthy. But their days are numbered. I've been systematically working my way around the plot, starting

for the past month or so, is to chop them down with a pair of shears. It works as it stops them flowering and seeding everywhere, which would really upset Ron, but it does mean they regrow. I normally get started with a good hoe in August but we haven't really