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is provided in a bird bath and large terracotta saucers on the patio, and I don't use any pesticides around my garden at all.But to be organic you do still need to control pests to prevent damage to both edible crops and ornamental plants. So when, in the last

to the great value seeds offer.Your creativity needn't be constrained by limited space. Crops can be grown in the tiniest area: in patio pots, baskets, window boxes, or even on a windowsill. The more space you have the more you can grow, and while few of us can

bare clipped lawn, a fair amount of old concrete paths, and naked chain-link fence. Now we have several rambling thickets of rose, ivy, clematis and vine, a 'secret' sun-lit patio beyond the pergola (I'm still extremely proud of my construction), a pond

is hosting our magazine theatre, where I'll be joined by horticulturist Kevin Smith from my team to present a lively demonstration on The Productive Patio (I could hardly get all the plants into my car to bring to the show). Kevin and I will be demonstrating

, the drain is perfect for it. It receives a tiny dribble of rain run-off from only a very small part of the roof, and gets plenty of organic material from the soil particles and spilled food flushed down when we occasionally hose off the patio. In effect, we

me a good hour a day watering my patio pots, baskets, outdoor tomatoes and greenhouse, but the rest of the garden has to fend for itself.The consequences of this are that coping with the weather, whatever it delivers (or doesn't), are what gardening

I don’t think my garden could look any worse. The borders I left to rot into themselves have tumbled all over the lawn, the patio is covered in pigeon poo, and there’s now a temporary cardboard compost bin outside my back door because the real bin

feature garden, where I'll be showing how to create a productive patio. It will be lovely to see you.Now I've just got one more problem to solve. The plants and props are tightly packed into my car but there's no space left for my suitcase! Where did I put

would tell me when I'd found it, I told my colleague Kevin, as we walked round a daffodil display at a trade show. "Daffodils don't smell", he replied. But, as I found it and took in its scent, I was four again, on the damp, north-facing patio

of the patio plants. A mouse nibbles seed heads in one of the borders. There is a Mediterranean bouquet garnis smell in the hot air. Lots of garden thyme in tonight's risotto.Thursday 12th A nuthatch visits the breakfast patio, but I cannot make out what