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’m not usually an impatient gardener. I know that some things are worth waiting for. But some of the salad varieties in the new catalogues are said to be ready for picking within four weeks, and this is certainly an appealing idea. But which varieties

surprised to find that when the kids and I went to a local Pick Your Own farm, we discovered that their summer-fruiting raspberries were also rather iffy.The creamy white-brown larvae may be anything up to 7 or 8mm long, and although they’re not always easy

Feeling fruityI've hand-picked a few favourites that will certainly whet the appetite - they're all tried and tested for flavour and reliability.When it comes to fruit, I'm passionate about eating and growing as much as possible in its proper season

are relatively simple to make and many people have their own twist to the classic recipe. This one for cordial is my wife's adaptation:• Pick 25 flower heads (they should always be picked while they are in full sun for the best taste)• Boil 2 litres of water

, distinctly curled at the ends.Even though I ‘know’ the males are harmless, it takes a real effort of will to pick one up in my bare fingers. Wasp stings are adapted from part of the egg-laying tube so only females (queens and workers) have them. Nevertheless

for food at this time of year, but robins really do get up close, and don't appear to be scared.You feel as if they would feed out of your hand, but perhaps that is hoping too much. Instead, any worms turned over during digging are picked out and thrown a

.I love the way home-grown salads start off as a meagre collection of leaves in spring, then steadily grow as tomatoes, broad beans and other ingredients are ready to harvest. The watercress growing in my pond is always the first leaf crop I pick, followed

they need.Pick off dead flowerheads regularly. If you leave them in place they can start setting seed and this triggers an end to flowering, so removing them will encourage the plant to flower again.AdamWhen watering pots, occasionally add a dash of washing

it on a square of muslin. Chop the stems to size if necessary.Take the four corners of the muslin square and tie them together securely.Tie some string around the bag to secure it. Then hang it under the bath tap so hot water can run through it.AdamPick

a sheet of paper, making sure you remove all the seeds. Pick out any bugs or pieces of debris.Funnel the seeds into paper envelopes, not plastic bags. Write full details of the plant on the envelope, including the date.AdamPut envelopes of seed