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that gunge. I either blast out the accumulated stuff between the panes with a strong jet of water or push it clear with a thin sliver of plastic from an old yoghurt tub...But why is it that however I try to do it, when I do need extra water, the ice

to discover that it was riddled with thin plastic strips, rather like the stuff you find inside a music cassette. Useless. Far too much to pick out and I certainly wasn't prepared to incorporate it into my lovely (albeit rather heavy clay) Hampshire soil

weeding easier. Kept adequately moist, the seeds will soon germinate, and, after thinning, the plants grow like billy-o. Hardy annuals tend to be more drought tolerant than more highly priced bedding plants, and are pretty resilient. They make for a

. (However, I did lose every single calabrese plant to the voracious little blighters, so I haven’t had it all my way.)Parsnips were a bit thin on the ground, due to a couple of disastrous sowings. It was breezy the first time I tried to sow the papery seeds

display is lovely, but there is a problem I need to address. The soil along the drive is thin and inclined to get compacted, and some clumps are rather congested. A few bulbs are producing leaf and no flower, a phenomenon known as  'blindness'. But, if I

of woodlice, and a pleasing variety of worms, but the most numerous invertebrates were centipedes. These were the long thin, many- and short-legged Haplophilus (or similar) species. They have lots of short legs for pushing through the soil, a bit like

beds weekly Around the gardenTie in shoots of clematis and climbers to supportsPlant out chrysanthemums for autumn flowersPrune overgrown Clematis montana after floweringFlowersHang pheromone traps in fruit trees to control pestsThin out congested fruit

Alys Fowler's top 10 veg plantsWith increased awareness of organic farming, food miles and healthy eating, many more people are trying their hand at growing vegetables. We caught up with Alys Fowler at the Chelsea Flower Show for some tips

Free-draining compost or cactus compostSilver sandNewspaperSheet of glassPencil (to prick out)Seed trayall year round20 minutes to sowFill a broad terracotta pot with a moist, gritty, loam-based compost, such as John Innes. Firm down and make the surface level

compost and keep them in a bright place to ensure they germinate.Chilli seeds e.g. 'Cayenne'Good quality seed compostSmall pots x2ClingfilmJanuary - May10 minutes to sow the seedsJuly - AugustFill two small pots with seed compost. Water the compost