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the glass with bubble polythene is a cheap and effective way of keeping your plants snug and protected from draughts.Collect and compost autumn leaves Cut back suckers growing around the base of treesVisit garden centres to choose bulbs and bedding Around

constructed, the box should last for years and provide a cosy home for generations of birds.Add old crops and bedding to the compost heapSpike lawns then brush grit into the holesCollect seeds from beans and sweet peas to sow next yearAround the gardenCut late

will not grow 'true’. You can still try, but there's no guarantee of the quality of the crop. There's more information on saving seed in Sue Stickland's article in the September 2011 issue of Gardeners' World Magazine.So which seeds are you saving?

These tiny, sap-sucking pests may be only 0.5mm long but they can wreak havoc in a greenhouse or on houseplants indoors. For most of the year they are a pale green colour with two dark spots on their back; it's only in autumn and winter

Jekka McVicar's 10 companion plantsJekka McVicar's organic herb garden achieved a gold medal at the Chelsea Flower Show 2009. We caught up with her at the show to discover her top 10 herbs for growing as companion plants.Companion planting

next year. So here are my allotment New Year resolutions for 2009:I must grow crops that don't require regular picking as I don't live close enough to the plot to get there more than a couple of times a week. That's just not enough to harvest runner

the crop rotation plan I formulated earlier in the season.I'm already flouting my New Year resolution to abstain from growing crops that require regular picking. That would mean no beans, French or otherwise, no courgettes and no fresh peas. I really can

of salad leaves possible; lettuce, spinach, pak choi, mizuna, beetroot, watercress, parsley and chives, as well as tomatoes, beans, courgettes and new potatoes. Although I've tried growing them, I haven't had much success with either sweet potatoes or soya

300g broad beans (shelled and cooked)100g peas4-5 large garlic cloves (crushed)*100g  crème fraiche2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oilHandful of mintJuice of one lemonSalt and black pepper, freshly groundThrow all the ingredients, except crème fraiche

first venture into growing fruit and veg, and the many mistakes I made while progressing to the level I'm at today (pretty good, I think). It's been a steep learning curve.For a brief spell, aged 11, I had a vegetable patch of my own. My mother – a