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If you ask me, there's very little that beats home-grown potatoes from the plot. They're so easy to grow, pay little heed to the vagaries of our weather and produce an abundance of lovely spuds throughout the season. In short, potatoes are one

I have a confession to make. After raving about the arrival of the purple sprouting broccoli and extolling the virtues of winter veg in my blog last week I realised that I had forgotten to mention red cabbages. Not only are red cabbages easy to grow

The weeds are growing like mad this year. They seem to love the combination of spring showers and sunshine we've been having lately. Sadly, the fine weather is having as positive effect on the weeds as it is on me.Speedwell is one of the moist

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

What a lovely spring to be growing things. The weather has been pretty near perfect — lots of sunshine and some lovely soft, steady rain to get it all germinating and growing well. Perhaps we've had a bit too much wind, and the temperatures at night

by their sheer size! Jerusalem artichokes get absolutely enormous - on average at least five or six feet tall (the best part of two metres) - and that's in a season! I've grown them for years and every year I am amazed by their general gusto and growing power

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

I'm not a great one for growing flowers on my plot. Maybe I shy away from raising flowering plants on the allotment because I grow so many in my main job (as head gardener at The Bath Priory Hotel). I've grown marigolds as companion plants

are best sown under cover to give them a good start. A few weeks in the greenhouse and they'll grow into big, healthy plants that should withstand the attentions of slugs once they've been planted out.Before I had my greenhouse, I had a production line

It's been lovely to have some proper summer weather so early in the season. Everything seems to have started growing apace, both indoors and out. Weeds and wanted plants alike have been spurting upwards and outwards.It's a job to know where to start