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You can tell it is autumn, the grass is yellow. I've just come back from a pear-harvesting foray, and as I stomped through the scruffy grass in the field I looked ahead and saw numerous patches of miserable, yellow grass.I assumed the yellowing

brilliant year for sloes, many of them the size of damsons and looking seriously juicy. I'm about to go out and start the harvest, sure to come back with arms ripped to shreds by those mega-thorns, as no doubt I'll forget to take the gauntlet gloves. I have

of unwanted materials. But horseflies are a menace to horses and humans and no doubt a lot of other creatures too. Gardening has suddenly become a high-risk business - I seem to do more leaping about than weeding and sowing. We even have a house rule

and bumps will make them adopt unnecessarily distorted shapes. Oh, and don't add too much manure, as that will make them fork. The roots are best harvested after the frost has been, as the cold tends to make them much sweeter and more delicious.My wife

In the current climate of price rises and frozen salaries we're all looking for ways to save money. Fortunately, many garden plants help us to cut costs by producing new seed for free. All we have to do is spot the opportunities, then collect

on one side so we junked it and my quest began again.There's a lot of debate over which is greener. To make an artificial tree involves a fair bit of plastic and it's obviously not compostable. But the harvest and transportation of real trees uses a lot

if you have a family to feed.I don't have the luxury of a large allotment, so I'm keen to grow as much as I can in my garden. It's probably larger than average, but then gardening is my passion, and my job!Fruit trees and cane fruits grow around the edges

) harvesting her first home-grown fruits a few months later.The one thing we had in common was early access to a garden. Would we be sat in this office without that privilege? Gardening doesn't just help heal temporary blips, it changes lives. That's why

and ensure a perfect harvest. Many magic spells have been cast and incantations woven, but the weather can’t be changed.While we can do nothing to stop it being horrible, we can still find ways to keep ourselves busy. As I write, my garden is completely

with all the nutrients they need, and as the waste breaks down they'll get a fair amount of water too (saving me a job).My garden is far too small to grow pumpkins really, but I won't let that deter me. I'll drape the long, winding stems up and over