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, Cheshire in the early 1960s, and was thought to have come back with some large pine cones picked up in the Portugal countryside and brought home as souvenirs. This was a false start, but it got a proper foothold in 1995, and is now everywhere.The southern

bolts very quickly during hot weather, although the variety called 'Leisure' is worth growing as it's slower to bolt, providing more leafy pickings for longer. If your coriander does flower, you can use the crushed seeds in Indian cookery, but save some

tomatoes now feel icy to the touch when picked, but the plants are soldiering on. In previous years I have laid down my remaining outdoor tomato plants on a bed of straw, and covered them with a long cloche or a few layers of fleece. I like to ensure

and hollyhocks, and a lone foxglove! On the allotment, we still have strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and beans.It's all very well having cheery flowers, and being able to pick strawberries and raspberries in November, but I hope this doesn't happen every

!These herbs are all perennials, so they'll last for years. Feed them weekly with seaweed extract when in growth and cut back after flowering. Be sure to pick all the evergreen herbs from the top, rather than the side, to promote new growth. May

. Like long-tailed tits, goldcrests eat insects and spiders, but specialise in tiny morsels such as moth eggs. Their beaks are designed to pick out insects from between pine needles. In really cold winters they will occasionally come to garden feeders, so keep

and chicken wire mesh. The mesh keeps young plants close to the supports, making it easier for them to climb, and keeps the pigeons away.Sugar snap peas become stringy and tough if left too long, so pick as soon as they start to plump up and make a satisfying

, you could sow in a small pot or tray.Sow one to three seeds per module, checking the seed packet for sowing depth. Moisten your fingers, to help pick up individual seeds.Cover the seeds with vermiculite or seed compost, label the tray, then water well

Carrots need space to develop fully so, once germinated, go over your rows of carrots and pick out the weakest-looking vegetable seedlings to leave a 2cm - 4cm space around remaining seedlings. If you're very careful in extracting the seedling from

. If plants are growing indoors, open windows to encourage bumblebees to pollinate the flowers.Pick fruits when they are still shiny - dull fruits suggest seeds have started to develop and the fruit is past its best.AdamFlowers can drop if conditions are too