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protected.Of course there's an answer, and that's what fruit cages were invented for, but when you integrate soft fruits around the garden to make best use of space these aren't a viable solution. Large pieces of netting play a part, thrown over fruit

, sprinkled liberally with freshly ground pepper. Believe me, they are delicious.Although I'm loathed for making space for nettles in my garden, the sight of large patches of them brings joy to my heart. These spiteful weeds are the perfect host for four

Despite temperatures in my greenhouse dropping to zero at night but soaring by day, I've just got to get on with more seed sowing. Chillies and sweet peppers are top of my list. Last summer I had an outdoor electric socket installed for the garden

they love, so I spaced the plants more widely.Soon, the large bare areas between them started niggling me, and I planted a few compact courgettes in the spaces, along with some Tagetes 'Lemon Gem' to attract beneficial insects such as hoverflies. The adults

, usually with shoots emerging. Then there are delightful acidanthera, bright but short-lived tigridia, climbing glory lily (gloriosa), and weird arisaema. Good garden centres may stock popular bulb ranges, but for something more unusual you really do need

anthers, but it'll keep flowering right through summer. Each flower measures about 7cm across. Although not as large as the flowers of many summer-flowering hybrids, the succession of blooms makes C. 'Arabella' really worthwhile. Clearly the RHS thinks so

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

What a glorious Sunday in the garden yesterday, and driving my daughter to school at 7.30 this morning the temperature was already 23°C and rising. It probably didn't fall much below that all night, and though a bit restless for me the greenhouse

dove and other ground feeders below.5. Top up the bird bathA fresh water supply is vital for garden birds, so I keep my bird bath and other large saucers topped up with water. These become frozen on cold nights, so I pop out with the boiling water left

long trusses dripping with fruits like my 'Gardener's Delight' and other greenhouse varieties, beefsteak tomatoes set just a handful of fruits per truss, and sometimes just two or three. Greedy? No, I don't think I'm being unreasonable in expecting