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I’ve decided not to take any risks growing veg in my garden this year. I harvested a reasonable crop of chillies and tomatoes last summer, despite the lack of sun, but probably not large enough to justify the hours of labour I put in feeding

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

The Gardeners' World Grow Yourself Healthy campaign is all about growing your own fruit and veg - no matter how much space or experience you have. So it's great that one of the five growing plans supplied is dedicated to growing in containers. My

As container-grown fruit and veg start to crop, it's important keep your eye on the ball to ensure they stay productive. I've just harvested a small batch of French beans from my late container sowing as part of the Grow Yourself Healthy campaign

My father tells a story of when he was in the army. A particularly pompous officer lifted the lid of a dish of vegetables and snorted "carrots are not an officer's vegetable" before storming off.I mention this in light of a brief discussion I had earlier in the week with my fello...

Prune gooseberry bushesFork over vacant beds, mixing in compost or well-rotted manurePlant fruit trees trained as cordons, fans or espaliers to make use of limited spaceTie in raspberry and blackberry canes to support wiresLift and divide congested clumps of rhubarbTake hardwood ...

Check fruits in store for signs of rot or deteriorationPlant new fruit bushes and cane fruitsTake hardwood cuttings from healthy fruit bushes, including currants and gooseberriesWinter prune fruit trees, including apples - but save plum pruning to summerCover broad beans and peas...

Winter prune apple treesPrune away stems of autumn-fruiting raspberries at soil levelPrepare sites to plant new fruit trees and bushes, by improving soil with lots of organic matterHoe bare areas to remove weed seedlingsUse straw to prevent soil freezing around parsnipsTake hardw...

Make a composting trench to enrich soil where beans will grow next springMake compost from spent cropsDig over vacant areasLift and divide congested clumps of rhubarbCut down asparagus fronds and the tops of Jerusalem artichokesBuy in rotted farmyard manure or other composted gre...

Net crops to protect them from pigeonsEarmark your best sprouts for the Christmas table and give them last-minute protection if windyTake hardwood cuttings from fruit bushesGet ready for planting asparagus in spring, removing weeds and digging over the soi, and adding compostOrde...