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when it comes to composing on a plate. Grated, sliced or chopped – preparing veg in different ways also makes a difference, but I digress.We all want colour in our gardens, so what about colour in our veg plots and allotments? Flowers play their part

) – 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

plans. Each plan contains an easy-to-follow growing calendar for 10 recommended crops. Simply choose which profile suits your circumstances best, and start sowing:• Allotmenteer• Container grower• Gourmet grower• New to the plot• Weekender

and cooking crops. Do let us know in the comments section of this blog if there are any harvesting tips you'd like us to cover.Finally, do join me and a host of other experts on the ‘Grow Your Own’ Garden at BBC Gardeners' World Live (15-19 June 2011) for more

that the Latin name for watercress is Nasturtium officinale.So, what other edible flowers add colour to my summer salads? Well, pot marigold or calendula petals look lovely. Orange varieties self-seed on my veg plot, and one or two flowers provide sufficient

... round shrubs, roses and flowers, along the base of the hedge, around fruit trees and bushes, and over the veg plot. Beans get a good, deep mulch of compost to help conserve soil moisture, too, but it's not just water retention that mulching is good for

keep this in mind when developing my veg plot. Put simply, companion plants are any plants that provide a benefit to their neighbours.Broadly speaking this could include providing shelter from strong winds, support to help them climb, or shade from

in place can twist onto flower stalks and bend them, so every one needs removing.Then, like all peas and beans in the veg plot, sweet peas need a continual supply of moisture – not easy in the East Midlands and other areas that have been so dry. That's why