Search - Articles

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

plots and tend to pick a suitable day to blitz them all at once, getting everything cleared and organised for spring planting. Another neighbour, Vic, was also on his plot, moving his broad bean plants from his greenhouse at home to a sheltered spot

the flower spreads back into the young courgette. Although there is little you can do about the weather, it is well worth checking courgettes and marrows daily. As soon as the fruit is formed, I pick off the flower, ideally before the petals get a chance

brilliantly, producing the biggest fruits yet, but as soon as they approached ripeness, the wasps attacked. As a result I picked them a little earlier than I would have liked. We ate many of the peaches while they were still hard, before they too were spoiled

I’ve just been outside picking strawberries. Despite the colder nights my plants are still fruiting away and I hope they’ll have enough energy left to fruit again at the right time next year.None of the fruits have been damaged by birds – perhaps

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

I have a soft spot for alpine strawberries: on our very first allotment our next door neighbour gave my then wee daughter a clump to grow in her own raised bed. We left them on the plot when we moved, but my daughter still talks about them fondly

, coriander, mint, thyme and rosemary.Then there are nasturtiums - vibrant, colourful blooms produced in profusion by these easy-to-grow hardy annuals. They have a warming, peppery flavour, not unlike watercress. Which is hardly surprising when you realise