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Last month, we challenged you to break the World Record for growing the tallest sunflower. Free seeds of 'Russian Giant' were given out with the April issue of Gardeners’ World magazine, and many of you emailed us to register your interest in taking

-in-law’s greenhouse for the winter.Third - and this is very positive news - the frosty snap will have done wonders for your parsnip crop. Parsnips need a bit of cold to give them the wonderful sweetness that makes them the perfect accompaniment to Sunday lunches

for growing in the greenhouse. Plant in large containers and water well.Unusual fruit varietiesBanana 'Dwarf Cavendish'This is the hardiest, most reliable and heaviest cropping fig in northern Europe.Fig 'Brown Turkey'A high yielding outdoor variety that also

unique features. Plants can be pollinated in pots in coldframes or unheated greenhouses, or outside in the open garden. It is warmer work when done in the greenhouse, but pollinated flowers are more prone to rotting when indoors. Hellebore plants

, weekly feeding and frequent deadheading do create more work at a time when, to be honest, there are other things I'd rather be doing in the garden. Riding to the rescue have come a growing assortment of succulents - more unusual plants with very few

of polythene can be used to warm the soil before planting outside, and then left in place to provide protection and encourage development. Alternatively, individual garlic cloves can be planted in small pots or modular trays and kept in the greenhouse or a cold

, as they don't need supporting and their side shoots do not require pricking out. Bush tomatoes grow well in a hanging basket or pot, both in a greenhouse and outdoors.Bush tomato 'Gartenperle'Potatoes may be grown in a container or in the ground. Early

It's Gardeners' World 'Grow Your Own' Week and I really am trying to grow my own, honest. Up at the allotment, everything's looking a bit bedraggled after the rain. The onions and garlics are looking just about OK; I'm hoping the strawberries

in my gardening habits, so you'll rarely find me on the plot on 21 December.There's still plenty of time to order and plant shallots or find them in garden centres - I've got away with planting them in at the end of April and still had a good crop

the garden centre, ready to plant.Plant them 10cm apart (15cm if you want bigger onions) and keep them well watered in dry weather. Onions don't like growing in recently manured ground, but they do like fairly rich soil, so if you have any home-made compost