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lucky the Central Committee for Agriculture may plant some of my annual flowers for the cutting bed I had planned, but for all I know they could be planning to dig the whole lot up and plant nothing but potatoes!

versatile and can be chopped and added to all types of salads. Chive flowers have a similar taste and are delightful scattered over baked potatoes. Chopped celery leaf adds flavour and texture to salads and goes well with root vegetables. Rosemary is great

active. The soil’s pH can also affect the incidence of certain diseases and cultural problems. Clubroot, which attacks brassicas, prefers acid soil, for example, while alkaline soil encourages scab on potatoes.For a rough indication of your local soil p

.The competition was fierce as a lot was at stake – their pride. As well as the usual produce from potatoes, carrots, parsnips and peas to the essential Brussels sprouts, I’m sure I remember Geoff mentioning walnuts and other fruits. I wouldn’t have put it past

off in summer.
Chives, which refuse to grow in my shady garden; I miss them in potato salads.
Borlotti beans, for drying and storing in jars, then adding to winter stews. Butternut squash and several varieties of pumpkin, for hearty autumn soups

simply sold as 'sweetcorn', 'tomato' or 'white potato' when you haven't a clue what the variety actually is? We can be far more discerning, as both consumers and gardeners, choosing and growing named varieties of crops that have the flavour and eating

and rows of terraces.As well as being brilliant at building homes that could withstand the many earthquakes of the region, the Incas were also great gardeners. In their stone terraces, they grew many types of potato and corn, as well as quinoa, yuca

. My mini balcony compost heap, however, was perfect.The following year I got my first allotment. I made mistakes there too. I sowed radish seeds in trays to transplant (and got laughed at by my new allotment friends), I planted potatoes in frosty

flower will need more attention though. Hans suggests daily watering and regular feeding, and swears by growing the plants in a cocktail of home-made compost and chopped raw potatoes, plus wood chips and bark. (For more of his tips, download the growing

Growing vegetables from seed can make a limited budget go a long way. Some crops, such as maincrop potatoes and onions are fairly cheap to buy in shops, so growing your own might not save you a lot of money. But runner bean, cherry tomato