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The heat has been incredible lately. I feel like my vegetables are cooking in the ground where they're growing. I'm used to the fact that all that soft, tender foliage is like a big advert to passing pests and pathogens, but the intense heat is a

was the natural place to be. Packed full of ideas for what to grow this year, and armed with packets of seed, I was determined to get some seed sowing done. But before the fun bit, I had to stop prevaricating and clear out the greenhouse.It's well worth cleaning

aluminium foil sheets around the plants, in the hope that they will help to reflect light back on the seedlings and improve their chances of growing into healthy plants.I can never find a decent, slimline dibber, so use a blunt pencil instead. I find

of the prolonged cold remains to be seen, yet I’m convinced that the aphids starting breeding earlier than ever this year. My dwarf runner beans, growing in massive pots, were the first victims, followed by the overwintering geraniums and pelargoniums

should net the trees, but they're growing in such a difficult place it would be more trouble than it's worth.Our plum and gage trees, however, are laden with fruit – so much so that the heavy crops are bending branches. Sadly, the quality of fruit

they are cropping so heavily. I’m tempted to plant some more, as they are such good value, and their flavour far exceeds that of shop-bought fruits. If you have room for some raspberry canes in your garden, I’d heartily recommend growing some.  ‘Autumn Bliss

'm growing for the Gardeners' World Magazine series) seemed to be as happy as Larry.That will teach me to be big headed, last night I found it - evil blackish brown blotches just starting up on the leaves. Luckily it has finally stopped raining so the spores

the last couple of years the palm has become steadily more miserable looking; its leaves have lost their gorgeous green sheen and taken on more of a yellow hue instead. And it's practically stopped growing.Finally I grasped the nettle (actually

I was producing a crop of water chestnuts).I'm also intending to start a small asparagus bed. Asparagus is a fascinating vegetable. Until a couple of years ago I heartily disliked it, but now I've fallen for its charms I'm going to attempt to grow

show recently, and 80% of the questions people asked me were about their poorly raspberries. I only grow autumn-fruiting varieties at home, which normally avoid attentions of raspberry beetle, but the early berries have been affected. So I wasn’t too