Search - Articles

in the year, to encourage them to put on growth before winter sets in. Space them at 10cm intervals in rows 20cm apart, and water well. If you don't have seedlings to plant out, you can usually buy plug plants from garden centres and mail order companies

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

Seed compostPlastic potsVermiculiteJanuary - April20 minutesFill your pot with seed compost, leaving a couple of centimetres below the rim. Scatter the seeds evenly over the compost and cover with vermiculite. Water well, then cover the pot with a plastic bag

March - September10 minutes to sowharvest April - NovemberUse a line to mark out the row. Sowing in a straight line allows you to identify where your rocket seedlings are and which are the weed seedlings to pick off. You'll find a row 1m - 2m long is enough to get

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

the seedheads may be highly ornamental and can be left on the plants for their display, but checking them regularly to collect some of the seed once it's dry.SeedheadsSecateursPaper envelopes or paper bagsPenSeptember - October10 minutesWait for seeds to ripen

Salad leaves can be grown on a cut-and-come-again basis; harvesting the larger leaves by cutting them, allowing the smaller leaves to grow for a second crop. If you make successional sowings of seeds every three weeks, you will have a constant supply of salad throughout the year....

Learn how to hoe your vegetable patch effectively with advice and a practical demonstration from Monty Don. Find out about tool sharpening and how frequently to hoe your plot. all year roundMore advice on common garden tasksWeeding by hand

I'm rather proud of the plot at the moment. It's weeded, fed, mulched and manured, the potatoes are chitted and in, and the beds are ready. Best of all, I've just top dressed my paths with lovely wood chips, which set the whole thing off to a 'T

putting our hens to good use in the vegetable garden. I now regularly march them out of their run to the plot, where they scrabble around and polish off a lot of grubs, including slugs. It's great for them as they get a change of scenery and lots