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with purple stripes.Pick off the adult beetles and larvae by hand and destroy.Spray with an insecticide - thiocloprid or imidacloprid - between late summer and spring. Avoid using insecticide when the plants are in flower as bees may also be killed

be surprised to hear that this week I couldn't wait to get up to the plot and start picking. Even Paul braved the icy winds to give me a hand with the harvest. And why were we so excited? Because the purple sprouting broccoli was ready.Luscious green, purple

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

if the weather is very hot or windy - and feed with tomato food once a week. If frost is forecast in May, bring the basket under cover.AdamPick the tomatoes as they ripen to encourage the plant to produce more fruit. Over the summer, trim away any leaves

with a thin layer of soil. Sow from March to August for regular pickings.Water well to help germination – lots of moisture is needed by this fast-growing crop, which should appear in 2-3 days.Thin out emerging seedlings to leave plants about 2-4cm apart

minutesCut the seedheads from your allium plants as they start to break open. Bring them indoors and let them dry out before tapping out the seeds and storing them in labelled paper envelopes.AdamIf the weather is damp when you pick the seedheads from your

, daffodils and crocusCreate a spring window box of tulips, thyme and honeysuckleVideo advice on picking tulips,from Sarah RavenHow to deal with tulip virusHow to deal with tulip fireBrowse tulip speciesGrowing tulips - Gardeners' World blog by James Alexander-Sinclair

to improve, so then will the crop.Baby courgettes fail to develop. Instead of growing into a long or round shape, they quickly rot on the plant.Pollinate the early batch of flowers by hand, rather than relying on insects. Pick an open male flower (which doesn

of brassicas, with nasturtiums also being attacked.Cover plants with horticultural fleece to prevent butterflies reaching the leaves. Check plants regularly and pick off any caterpillars that do make it through. Spray young caterpillars as they hatch

an attractive form of wildlife, large colonies can strip leaves bare.Shredded leaves caused by an infestation of caterpillars. In some cases, the leaves are completely decimated and the plant can die.Pick them off by hand and dispose of them, keeping a special