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. And why not? Last weekend I made the most wonderful apple crumble I have ever eaten, using this BBC Good Food recipe (I ignored the instructions to add jam and orange juice to the apples).My garden might not be too small to grow apples, but its soil is too

and cotoneaster. But what I’d really like is a crab apple. It’s probably not the best option for my small, shady plot, as it requires a fair amount of sun, but I think I might chance it. A friend has one growing in her garden and I always feel a pang of jealousy

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The pebble-sized raspberries that my mum grows, and which my granny used to grow. The tiny fruits are a pain to harvest but their flavour is amazing.
Apples from the gnarled old apple tree that (obviously) came with the garden.
Masses of French beans.
Black

I might move house this year. It’s very early days, but the possibility of having a bigger garden is sending my plant-collecting gene into overdrive. I currently grow plants in my small, shady courtyard garden. But after four years of this, I long

I've just thrown a 'plant party', as part of 'Grow Your Own' Week. This involved my friends coming to my flat and learning how to sow tomatoes and chillies. We also discussed pricking out, transplanting, feeding and watering. It reminded me of my

Last winter, when I went to great trouble to feed the birds in my garden, my offerings were largely ignored. This winter, I'm trying again, leaving seeds, chopped apples and suet pellets for ground-feeding birds such as robins, blackbirds

, according to Chief Horticultural Advisor Guy Barter. The growing season is getting longer, and plants are simply taking advantage.I don't know if my spring-flowering cherry is blooming late, or early. But not only is it in flower, it's also produced a second

as edibles like blackcurrant, beetroot and hop. The long hawthorn hedge make me crave one of my own – how much time could I spend searching it for insects, nesting birds and hedgehogs?Best of all were the apple trees in full blossom, which is a remarkable