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Use twigs pushed into the ground to support tall-growing peas, or use short canes and stringFeed strawberries with a high potash feed, such as tomato fertiliserSow flowering companions in your veg plot, such as tagetes and poached egg plants

Keep harvesting root vegetables as they mature, including parsnips and leeksOrder seed potatoes, onion sets and shallotsStretch netting over brassicas to protect them from pigeonsCover clumps of rhubarb with buckets or terracotta pots to force early

in the middle of your carrot crop.Rotate your cropsAvoid growing related plants like parsnips and celery near carrots, as they also attract the pest.Avoid parsnips and celeryUse a biological control, such as Carrot Root Fly Killer Nematode, or a sticky trap

draw up a crop rotation plan. I actually drew a rough outline of where I was going to grow this year's crops in the autumn, before putting in the onions and garlic. Typically, I never got around to finishing it off.My crop rotation plan comprises a

Like it or lump it, there isn't that wide a range of vegetables you can enjoy fresh from the garden at this time of year. So how about some oriental veg? Yes, I'm still enjoying parsnips, leeks, onions, garlic and radish. No spuds though, as those

to leave. The beds dedicated to growing hungry crops, such as beans and courgettes will need plenty of organic matter added, such as garden compost or well-rotted horse manure.Beds dedicated to growing root crops, such as carrots and parsnips will not have

. (However, I did lose every single calabrese plant to the voracious little blighters, so I haven’t had it all my way.)Parsnips were a bit thin on the ground, due to a couple of disastrous sowings. It was breezy the first time I tried to sow the papery seeds

it into the drill from a folded piece of paper.More advice on sowing seedsJoe Swift's video guide to growing basil seedsGrow salad leaves from seedGrow parsnips from seedGrow foxgloves from seed

, and analyse what went wrong.Top failure prize this year has to go to parsnips - I only have about half a dozen. I know what went wrong, though: I sowed old seed that was past its sell-by-date. I've learnt my lesson, and it won't happen again.Second prize goes

it with water and it will soak down to their roots, rather than running off the soil surface.More advice on growing vegetablesMonty Don's video guide to growing courgettesHow to plant out leeksGrowing parsnips from seedPlanting brassicas