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We're all looking for ways to recycle more, save money and grow our own edible crops, so it's great finding a way to combine all three at the same time!OK, there's nothing new about re-using cartons and packaging that would otherwise find its way

to the great value seeds offer.Your creativity needn't be constrained by limited space. Crops can be grown in the tiniest area: in patio pots, baskets, window boxes, or even on a windowsill. The more space you have the more you can grow, and while few of us can

Every family has their own Christmas traditions – the festive season just wouldn’t be the same without them. Some of ours have been going for as long as I can remember, passed on to successive generations to enjoy.Down come the boxes of carefully

miscanthus and imperata, several Japanese maples in large pots, a striking Hosta nigrescens, and a nicely clipped box ball, to name but a few. All have their place, growing and changing as the year progresses.Of course I have pots of flowers, too, but it

, an easy-to-grow bulb that produces flowers during August, filling that colour gap between summer perennials that have passed their best and autumn ones that are yet to start flowering.My lilies have already been planted, but bulbs may still be available

There are days nominated to celebrate apples, festivals for tomatoes and chillies, and whole weeks to inform us about bird nesting boxes, trees, allotments and composting ... and this week it's the turn of the conifer.The Association of British

to be irresistible. Those open boxes of loose bulbs just aren't the same. They may be a bit cheaper, but pictorial packs provide something to focus on while waiting for the bulbs to bloom.Last spring I bought a wonderful new variety of lily called 'Strawberry & Cream

tray to keep moist. Within weeks beautiful well-rooted plants had developed, ready for planting directly outside without risk of disturbing the rootball.Following this success I've tried growing other crops in newspaper pots, including beans

varieties to choose from I'll need some of each. And I've never tried growing asparagus. Perhaps I should try growing some next year as the whole family love eating it.But it's not just seeds. The catalogues include fruit, potatoes and onion sets, and bulbs

the end of the 2012 growing season. The reason I’m flustered is that there’s so much still to do, and the most urgent job is to bring any tender plants that are still outside under cover before they’re damaged.I have a lovely selection of tender succulents