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right away.3. Insulate outside tapNot only must I turn off the stopcock to my garden tap to isolate the water supply (mine is almost hidden behind pipework under the kitchen sink), but I must wrap insulation material round the brass tap itself. Again, I

I don’t think my garden could look any worse. The borders I left to rot into themselves have tumbled all over the lawn, the patio is covered in pigeon poo, and there’s now a temporary cardboard compost bin outside my back door because the real bin

Oh snow, where were you in London on Christmas day? Why are you here now, hampering our efforts to burn off mince pies through brisk gardening? There's nothing I can do in my garden, except ponder when the compost heap will start breaking down again

unheated greenhouse before the temperature drops too much. In winter the worms can die of cold and the contents of the bins can even freeze solid. Wormeries don’t need to be put in a heated place; it’s enough to avoid freezing conditions. Some gardeners

, wrapped up the roots and transported it to its new location. It survived, despite the fact that I was so busy with the move that I didn’t manage to replant it immediately, as I should have done.For the first couple of years it did sulk rather, then started

in the sun. Everything was wrapped in a frozen overcoat. Will the plants survive? Most will, but like every adventurous gardener I push the boundaries of my gardening and grow a range of plants you would describe as having 'borderline hardiness'. Only time

I have to admit that, from a practical point of view, this blog post will not have a lot to offer to anybody who gardens in towns and cities. But, rather than turning away in disgust, I would like you to come along with me purely out of interest

wrong I was.Someone gave me a kit of wooden block templates last spring, so I set about wrapping them with strips of newspaper, and crimping over the base to make small pots. Filled with compost, I sowed peas in each pot, then grouped them together in a

Christmas is lurking just around the corner, like a well-oiled middle manager holding a sprig of mistletoe at an office party. So, this is my last blog for Gardeners' World before we are all swept away on a breaking wave of tinselled overindulgence

. A mother’s idea of a cool T-shirt was always, always completely wrong.Nowadays I have grown out of most toys (unless you count snazzy gadgets) and my tastes are far more practical. I take refuge in those garden essentials that are really boring but without