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. While I was there I thought I may as well do a couple of jobs, so I set about thinning out the fruit on the apple trees. This year my three apple trees have flowered and set fruit beautifully; the branches are laden with bunches of marble-sized fruits

the pretty ones, leaving the others to grow to gargantuan proportions.Broad beans need picking regularly to ensure the plants keep flowering and producing beans, so mine have inevitably stopped cropping. The stems are laden with pods so large they're getting

of flowers and now I'm getting some beans at long last. If you're suddenly overwhelmed by beans Delia's got a lovely chutney recipe.This year, we're growing a variety that I've wanted to try for years. It's beautifully named 'Painted Lady' and it appeals

produced flower buds and the purple-sprouting broccoli which was cropping fabulously only a couple of weeks ago has gone to flower.It seems only a couple of weeks ago that I was harvesting tight clusters of purple-sprouting for the steamer but almost

It's all go at the moment, there's so much to do. The recent hot weather has had quite an impact on the plot - plants have doubled in size, flowers are abundant, the onions are trying to bolt and I've got a spring in my step.When there's so much

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

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