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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

It's easy to be sniffy about the ornamental cabbage. It is quite a strange concept; an odd, Frankensteinish amalgam of vegetable and bedding plant. However, my mind was changed - temporarily at least - during a recent trip to New York. I saw

While the large flower shows are pretty mind-blowing, it's the local flower shows that get me excited about growing plants and vegetables. Many towns and villages have horticultural societies or gardening clubs, which hold at least one flower show a

I love early September: the sun is still hot but the nights are not stifling. The majority of plants have flowered and faded away but there are still some, particularly the dahlias, that are flowering their little heads off. There was a time when

three to four days.AdamIf you get the sprouting bug, many of the seed catalogues, such as Suttons and Kings Seeds, sell a range of suitable pulses.Growing plants indoorsGrowing a peanut plant - video project with Rachel de ThameSarah Raven gives advice

without drainage holesmid-April - July 20 minutes to plantharvest all year round depending on the cropHarden off greenhouse-raised plants if necessary by standing them in a sheltered spot outdoors for a week before planting.Before putting into the ground

Growing new potatoes for Christmas dinner is easier than you might think - you just need to plant them a little later. Some of the best new potatoes are grown from early and second early varieties, usually harvested in June and July. So, when

it with 10 parts water, to use as a fertiliser.AdamAdd fruit and vegetable peelings, cooked veg (except potatoes), shredded paper, cardboard and newspaper, crushed egg shells, tea leaves and coffee, but avoid meat and dairy products, lawn clippings, citrus

've got to admit that the French have it too.We saw so many small to medium plots of immaculately maintained vegetables, often in full view of the road, and looking lovely. And then the most extraordinarily bright and yet beautiful flower displays in tiny

, incidentally, is a plant that takes two years to flower from seed: it puts on leaves, stems and roots during the first year and then flowers the following summer. A lot of vegetables are actually biennial (for example beetroot, sprouts, carrots and celery