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it comes to vegetables I am on far less stable ground. It is my wife who holds sway over the kitchen garden and who dictates what, why and when: I just do what I am told. But I have been reading quite a lot recently about forest gardens and it is here

of the hazel) play much the same game, as do many conifers and most grasses (albeit later in the year).I was reminded of all this botany by a peculiar event. We were sitting in my in-laws' kitchen, when suddenly it seemed that a great cloud of smoke blew across

Every few days I'm picking handfuls of gigantic, sweet, succulent blackberries. They're delicious, and if I have time in the morning before dashing off to catch my train to the Gardeners' World office in London, I rush down to the bottom of my

I've been busy redesigning a great chunk of my garden. It's an important area, overlooked by our kitchen and bedroom windows, so it's the first thing I see every morning when I stagger out of bed. In contrast to the rest of the garden, it's always

Monty Don takes you through the process of planting early potatoes with suggestions for soil conditioning and spacing.springMore advice on growing potatoesBlog on growing potatoesChitting potatoes video projectGrowing potatoes in a binGrowing potatoes in bagsEarthing up potatoes

, such as a shed or conservatory. Choose the best quality bulbs to store - any that are damp and moist should be eaten straight away as they won't store well and will be prone to mould and mildew. Home-grown onionsGarden twine (doubled up)autumn1 hourKnot one

of underground stems that will bear potatoes. This mounding can be repeated once or twice more at 2 - 3 week intervals to ensure the best crop, with the added benefit of smothering any competing weeds.Potato plantsGarden forkRakelate-May - late-June 20 minutes

video.Garlic bulbsModular seed traysMulti-purpose compostTrowel for planting outNovember - January1 hourharvest July - SeptemberBreak garlic bulbs into individual cloves ready for planting. Take care not to damage the cloves as this can lead to rotting

and are inexpensive.3.9m scaffolding planks, 3.7cm thick, x 2SoilOrganic matterPliersHand sawJigsawTape measureRulerautumn - winterRemove the metal banding from the ends of the planks with pliers.Using a hand saw, cut each board in two to give one 2.3m and one 1.6m

Monty Don demonstrates how to plant heritage variety shallots in a container, offering advice on drainage and planting depths.springMore advice on growing alliumsHow to harvest garlicGrowing onions and garlicPlanting out leeksTips on growing garlic