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'!Besides, I do know a bit about growing garlic. Although the bulbs do need a period of really cold weather to get them started, that period can be as short as a week at about zero to four °C. This seems highly possible during the remainder of February

as a native hedging plant, but surely its time more were grown as ornamentals (with a sideline in winter liqueur production, of course). The only problem is that they self-seed and tend to spread themselves rather rapidly, but if they do grow too much

. Indeed it was so perfect that another trailer load has now appeared - the first batch having been added to the main growing beds. This time the fruit is benefitting; a good, deep carpet of the stuff has been applied around the raspberries and fruit trees

weeding easier. Kept adequately moist, the seeds will soon germinate, and, after thinning, the plants grow like billy-o. Hardy annuals tend to be more drought tolerant than more highly priced bedding plants, and are pretty resilient. They make for a

planted in my children's plots, complete with home-made plant supports. According to my children "when the beans grow they can use the wigwams too", because "you did say that sweet peas help to encourage the bees to pollinate them".The wigwams are both

wonderful thing this 'circle of life' is - as some things end, others begin to grow. And that's especially true on an allotment. My seedlings sown outdoors are starting to appear, thanks to the recent lovely rain, sunny days and warmer nights. The first

to bursting with my plants, taking advantage of the safe hiding place under the polythene the plants were growing through.On top of this, the gorgeous mass of yellowy-orange azalea flowers is now no more, having been blown and bashed by the storms.I shall

, with little effort on my part.I don't know why I didn't grow asparagus, as it's really easy. Now I'll have to wait to next spring to plant some crowns, and then another couple of years before getting a decent meal out of them.

urge to grow and flower profusely.My idea back in the autumn was to plant it with a few salad leaves such as mustardand rocket that might overwinter and give us some early, spicy leaves to make a few winter salads, as well as some parsleyto keep us

It's been a bumper year for strawberries on the Bathampton plot. Lizzy, Paul and I have been picking for all we're worth and my jam pan has scarcely left the stove.We grow two varieties of strawberry: an early called 'Honeoye' and a later one