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of bramble, such as Loch Ness, which are slightly less impertinent in habit and can yield much larger fruit. For the tastiest berries grow the plants in full sun. And if you're out blackberrying in the wild, don't bother picking fruit from north

I really should practice what I preach. What with one thing or another, I haven't harvested my broad beans as regularly as I should have. I blame Paul. It was his job to pick the beans on our last visit to the plot; he obviously harvested

Easter always reminds me of my childhood. I attended a village school in Somerset and we used to pick bunches of primroses (Primula vulgaris), tie them up with coloured wool, place them in baskets and decorate the church.It is sad to think

It's been a bumper year for strawberries on the Bathampton plot. Lizzy, Paul and I have been picking for all we're worth and my jam pan has scarcely left the stove.We grow two varieties of strawberry: an early called 'Honeoye' and a later one

I can't say it's a surprise - I've been expecting the annual appearance of a whopping great marrow on one of my courgette plants. It happens every year, without fail. I try to be so thorough when I'm picking, delving under the leaves, harvesting

'cos once they start producing they just don't stop and we can't pick them fast enough. You really need to pick them every other day, if not every day. And if you leave them alone for a whole weekend then they turn into marrows! Before long I know

as if it's been the year of the slug, it was rather gratifying to see how successful Pippa's beer traps have been! I have also struggled all summer to get my head round growing beans for drying and when to pick them.You actually leave them to dry

I'm a very hands-on sort of naturalist. If I can, I pick up whatever it is I've found to have a closer look. With insects, getting a closer look is very often a question of grabbing at something that moves very quickly, and only then discovering

and dissolve 1.3kg sugar in it• Take off the heat and add the flower heads• Slice 2-3 lemons into a bowl (at this point you can add citric acid to prolong shelf life)• Pour the liquid over the lemons, cover and leave for 24hrs• Strain into a bottle• Add ice

.To top it all there's very little raspberry beetle damage - those horrible little browny maggoty things that sneak out of the top end of the fruit. I can't seem to pick the fruit fast enough and the entire family is going around with bright red stains