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Picking broad beans really is a family affair in the Pasco household. The fat, swollen pods are full of promise and we eagerly pop them open to release the harvest.Much to my wife's surprise, my two children really enjoyed their first taste of broad

.This week I'll be picking my first greenhouse cucumbers. I'm growing 'Tiffany', a powdery mildew-resistant variety, and my three plants are carrying at least 20 fruits between them. All the family love cucumber, so this is one thing we won't have to buy

first harvest. And by picking them just before you're about to eat you know they're can't be any fresher or full of goodness.Many are cut-and-come-again varieties, so by just picking the baby outer leaves as they develop the centre will be left

garden (in my pyjamas) and pick off the fattest, ripest berries to put on my bowl of breakfast cereal. What a great start to the day.To avoid a painful harvest I only grow thornless blackberries, and have trained two of my favourites, Loch Ness

rightly - and while not unpleasant, they were certainly an acquired taste.Dandelions grow bigger, with longer leaves, in wild areas than they do in lawns, where mowing keeps them flat and close to soil level. Apparently, the French often eat them as a

the most before experimenting with others. We eat a lot of fresh salads in our house, so growing these saves us a great deal of money. With a little planning we can be self-sufficient for five months of the year, but I’d love to extend this period further

I'm beginning to wonder whether growing old heirloom or heritage varieties of vegetables is really worthwhile. My tomato 'Snow White Cherry', sold as a heritage variety by many companies, was a real disappointment this year, and I wish I'd grown

August's plum time in my garden, with 'Victoria' a firm family favourite. Everyone loves them, especially my daughter Danielle, who strips my single fan-trained plum before even the wasps get a taste!This has led me to extend my plum picking season

If you want fast fruit then look no further than strawberries. From rather unpromising cold-stored runners, foliage will develop in days, flowers in weeks, with ripe fruit ready for picking in about two months.Commercially available strawberry

Although I started planning what crops I'd like to grow this summer well before Christmas, my plans have just been turned upside down. The February issue of Gardeners' World Magazine contains a feature on '100 Best Veg' varieties, an inspirational