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frogs poking their heads out two months later, when watering my tomatoes.In autumn, determined that the frogs and insects would have a safe place to spend the winter, I left the grow bag in place, cutting down the tomato haulms and placing them and other

Jekka McVicar's 10 companion plantsJekka McVicar's organic herb garden achieved a gold medal at the Chelsea Flower Show 2009. We caught up with her at the show to discover her top 10 herbs for growing as companion plants.Companion planting

, but the new site I'm on has suffered from it terribly.A blight warning - sometimes called the Smith Period - occurs when there have been two consecutive days with temperatures of at least 10? and relative humidity has been above 90%.I try to grow vegetables

) – and produced a value for every crop. The main factors she considered were:1.  The length of time a crop is in the ground before being harvested.2.  The number of helpings you'd pick per square metre.Crops that grew quickly and produced high yields received a

There's only one thing better than receiving emails, letters and phone calls from readers and that's meeting them in person. And with Gardeners' World Live starting tomorrow (Wednesday 15 June, 2011) and running until Sunday I'm looking forward

Good quality seed compostSmall 7.5cm pots x2ClingfilmMarch - Juneten minutes to sow the seedsMay - SeptemberFill each pot with compost, water it with tap water and leave to drain. Don't use rainwater from a butt as it may contain bacteria, which can cause

You can never have enough lettuce in summer, but sowing directly into the soil takes up valuable space in the garden. Keep a regular supply growing by sowing seeds in lengths of plastic guttering: short, 1m lengths are convenient and easy to handle

.Growing edible crops from seedRead Pippa Greenwood's blog on growing salad leavesGrowing basil from seedGrowing tomatoes from seedGrowing chillies from seed

them (they will turn brown and papery as they mature), and store in a cool, dry place.Calendula seedEnvelopeSilica gelAirtight containerautumn or spring20 minutesWhen the seedheads have developed fully, remove them from the plant and lay them on a sheet

Courgette rotCarrot flyGrey mould on soft fruitsBlossom end rot on tomato plants