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remember sitting with a group of friends in a student bedroom watching Geoffrey on television. So, 'growing your own' is the latest gardening trend, is it? Well Geoffrey was certainly inspiring the nation with Mr Smith's Vegetable Plot in the 1970's

medalist, Jekka McVicar.Grass varieties from the Great Pavillion at the Chelsea Flower Show 2008.Vegetables at the Chelsea Flower Show 2008, with Alys Fowler's top 10 veg varieties to grow for beginners.

In order to get the best out of your garden plants and crops, it’s worth testing your soil pH. In the UK this ranges from 3.5 (strongly acid) to 8.5 (strongly alkaline), with 7 being neutral. Most fruit and vegetables prefer soils that have a

, but hates the shade of my current plot.A crab apple, in the hope that I can cultivate mistletoe on it.A large patch of nettles, for butterflies and ladybirds.Hawthorn, for its spring blossom, hedging potential and autumn berries. The fruits not only feed

-nitrogen fertiliser as it encourages soft, leafy shoots, which are easily infected by fungal diseases.I'll also practice crop rotation, so my garlic, leeks and onions will not be grown in the same plot of ground as last year. I’ll need to keep a close eye on my chives

thankfully never in a garden since. I recently read that we have the Romans to thank for ground elder, they introduced it to provide fresh vegetables for troop and planted it along roadsides. An interesting account of ground elder on Herboristeria makes

We've just been allocated more space on the allotment, so we now have a full sized plot. As well as planting many more spuds - which will keep the 'old man' happy - we can also plant the cutting garden my daughter always wanted. Despite

first venture into growing fruit and veg, and the many mistakes I made while progressing to the level I'm at today (pretty good, I think). It's been a steep learning curve.For a brief spell, aged 11, I had a vegetable patch of my own. My mother – a

Pavillion at the Chelsea Flower Show 2008.Vegetables at the Chelsea Flower Show 2008, with Alys Fowler's top 10 veg varieties to grow for beginners.