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out for onions to be planted in it this spring. So that's where they are.In this lovely firm bed that was originally intended for beans, I've planted 50 odd sets of an F1 onion variety called Hercules. It's supposed to store well, which is just what I

What a lovely spring to be growing things. The weather has been pretty near perfect — lots of sunshine and some lovely soft, steady rain to get it all germinating and growing well. Perhaps we've had a bit too much wind, and the temperatures at night

Cavolo Nero, 'Nero di Toscana' a go, instead of the plain old 'Dwarf Green Curled'. 'Nero di Toscana' has a lovely flavour but I wonder if it will flower as profusely next spring?

makes watering easier for those with hosepipes. Others try to be less wasteful with water, preferring to use watering cans. I tend to fall into the latter camp, although I do have a hose tucked away in the shed in case I get into a panic in spring when

, producing lovely straight, soft beans in copious quantities. (I know I said back in the spring that I wasn’t growing them this year but I collected my own seeds last year and I just had to try them out.) Collecting the beans at the end of the season was so

not deserve this apple tree because this year it flowered bravely in the spring. (I thought this was its final swansong and I can't tell you how guilty I felt - call myself a gardener!) So I still ignored it thinking it was still on its way out

to the inclement summer. Also the general web consensus seems to be that over-wintering types don't keep as well as the spring planted varieties. Oh well, it seems I still have a lot to learn!

It's all go at the moment, there's so much to do. The recent hot weather has had quite an impact on the plot - plants have doubled in size, flowers are abundant, the onions are trying to bolt and I've got a spring in my step.When there's so much

are struggling to keep their heads above water. Usually I find a spring dose of nematodes sorts out the worst of the problem and keeps the little blighters at bay while my plants get established. But this year it's not just the little blighters that are wreaking

large clods of earth, leaving a crumbly soil to work with in the spring. I haven't added a top dressing of manure to my beds yet - I'm not too sure what to do about manure this season after all the weedkiller scares of the summer. I'd rather go without