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are commendable, if nothing else. There are friends who grow the plants indoors and wonder why they don't fruit (the flowers need pollinating); friends whose plants flower and fruit but the tomatoes rot at the ends (blossom end rot caused by irregular watering

Every autumn I have the same dilemma: should I overwinter my chilli plants or not? I probably shouldn't bother, as they quite often die, but I always end up taking them indoors. It seems so wasteful throwing them in the compost bin.Although they

or raise them in pots indoors to transplant later. Sowing direct is generally the preferred method, as the sunflowers don't suffer a 'check' in growth when transplanted. However the young plants are at risk of being eaten by slugs and birds, so I

pretty garden and home-grown veg.Starting indoors, there's a propagator, containing seedlings of basil and garlic chives, which are in dire need of transplanting. I also need to pot on the sunflowers I'm growing as part of the Gardeners' World sunflower

Last year I had a great crop of chillies. I was so pleased with them that I couldn't bear to throw the plants on the compost heap when they'd finished fruiting. So I saved my favourite two to overwinter indoors as an experiment in chilli endurance

in the tyres of our bikes and transported across town, into our offices. There's some under my desk now.In desperation, I came up with a solution to my lack of lawn. I sow the seed indoors, where it germinates quickly, then take it outside and transplant

. Beans are frost-tender, so it's important to give them protection if sowing them now, and they don't like having their roots disturbed when being transplanted. So, rather than sow indoors now to transplant later, I've just sown them direct in a deep, 50

can't bring your wormery indoors (a shed or greenhouse will do), wrap it up with bubble wrap or other suitable material. I'll be doing my best to insulate my compost bin this weekend - at the very least I'll put the lid back on properly. But I fear

weevils. It's not flowered for four years.To thrive, citrus trees should really be grown in the Mediterranean. Failing that they need a rich, open compost and plenty of ventilation. If grown indoors, they benefit from a regular misting of water to increase

rushed indoors to fetch cotton wool and warm water to dress its wound, and then put a plaster on it. (The poor worm, I don't know why my mum didn't stop me.)By the time I was eleven, I had a veg plot of my own. Then, after a brief teenage interlude, I