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Plant runner beans now and these vegetables will thrive in the warm, moist soil and quickly twine up their supports. At this time of year you can still sow seeds, which will produce a good harvest of succulent pods, or you can buy young plants

you want too many leaves when it's the precious fruits you want to savour, so here are a few timely tips to keep your plants on track for a bumper harvest.Tomato plantsTomato foodWatering canCanes Stringsummer30 minutesThe first job is to stake up any

shall you reap" reminder that if he wants a garage full of produce come the autumn, we'd better get it all in the ground now.We've got all the spuds in - we're growing lots of different ones this year in an effort to spread the harvesting so we get lots

! (That's ley lines and crystal-wielding mystics - oh and pubs too!).Anyway back to the sweetcorn which I've been harvesting and what a mixed bag I've got this year. Last year's crop was simply perfection - beautiful sturdy cobs studded with plump kernels

, and have been waiting to see what the autumn colour would be like after all the weird weather.I know the National Trust reported back in September that the leaves were turning already and a lot of the autumn fruit harvest was in the shops at the beginning

on the plot, it's time for the pre-Christmas dinner harvest - only I've cocked up a bit this year! After growing the most gorgeous little button sprouts last year, it dawned on me in September that I hadn't grown any at all this season. I've brassicas aplenty

. As anyone who has tried to earth up potatoes with a trowel instead of a rake or draw hoe, or harvest them with a spade rather than a fork, will surely agree.

pigeons.Over autumn they developed hearts and throughout the winter months they've endured rain, winds and last weekend's hail and snow. I've been harvesting them selectively, trying to save them for special roast dinners with friends as they're so good

to disregard nettles as a useless (and delinquent) weed, as they can be very useful. Nettles make strong rope and tough cloth; up until the First World War the Germans harvested tonnes of nettles and made them into military uniforms (the sting is neutralised

it with another job like harvesting so I don't get fed up. By only working on one bed at a time I avoid getting overwhelmed by the enormity of the job. But it always amazes me how much I manage to get done in one session by plodding my steady way through the beds