Asparagus is among the first fresh veg to be ready for harvesting in the spring and with the right varieties can go on from mid-April to mid-June. It does take a little commitment; plants need a permanent home and spears should not be harvested from

Raised beds have established themselves as a fixture in many kitchen gardens. Growing at ground level works too of course, but raised beds offer advantages that have made them the go-to growing solution for an ever-increasing band of plucky gardeners

Get in touch by post, email or via our Facebook page: Facebook.com/kitchengardenmag Last year my cauliflowers (‘All The Year Round’) did well initially – both formed tiny perfect heads. Then they started wilting, the heads yellowed and then finally w

Another dish I think is perfect for spring. Something between a warm salad and hearty oven dish, it’s hopefully to your liking as much as it pleased me. This dish has vegetarian chorizo in it but you can use the original Spanish version if you wish.

“An optimistic gardener is one who believes that whatever goes down must come up.” (Leslie Hall, American satirical rap artist) “Have you viewed us on YouTube yet?” Steve has done it again and ordered far too many seeds. Every day the postman brings

VegTrug’s best-selling Herb Garden is the perfect solution for bringing your herbs to your doorstep. Its eight deep pockets provide ample room for cultivating a variety of herbs, while preventing competition for space and ensuring good drainage. Boas

My aim in A Floral Feast is to introduce you to a whole range of ornamental flowers, herb and vegetable flowers, flower seeds and flower foliage that you can grow yourself for eating. Some of them taste delicious and are highly nutritious, while othe

Plant maincrop potatoes in the ground, in rows 60cm (2ft) apart. There is no need to trench. Just make a hole the depth of a trowel and plant. Cover with soil and mulch. The first asparagus should be ready to harvest. Cut when the spears are about 18

Like many gardeners your love of gardening came from spending time with a family member. Can you tell us more about that. As a boy, I spent most weekends standing in the ‘hut’ belonging to my grandfather (affectionately known as ‘Jacky’), peering on

Made from recycled polypropylene, this is a large tray which will contain your seed and potting compost. The detachable shelf has three recessed pockets for seeds and potting accessories such as vermiculite, dibber, widger, plant labels and pens. Tra

Beyond the industrious honeybees and charming bumblebees we are so familiar with, there are a vast array of solitary bees to be found in the UK – around 220 of our 250 native bee species are solitary bees! April is a fantastic time to see them, and s

Christine has a small London allotment plot, which she waited more than six years to get, and a couple of overflow raised beds in her small garden at home. When did you start growing veg? I started growing veg when I was about 13 and carried on until

This varies depending on where you live and what the weather is like in early spring. In the south of the country if the spring is mild then you could start sowing in March but in the north, it may not be until late April or May. The average peak tim

You can pretty much grow any fruit you like in a container – so if you have a hankering to grow a peach or even a pineapple, don’t let socalled experts like me try and put you off. The only limit is your imagination and, crucially, the amount of time

Of the hundreds of thousands of allotments and vegetable gardens in the UK, every one of them may share a majority of common crops, but those crops will be grown as a unique selection of varieties that is exclusive to that one garden. Crops are the c

Those starting out in growing might assume there’s little home-grown produce available over winter. But if you’re organised, maintaining a supply of food over this period isn’t a problem. Leeks, kales, cabbages, chard, over-winter salads and stored p

French beans, the unsung heroes of the vegetable world, are a practical choice for any gardener who is looking to maximise their space and enjoy a tasty crop during the summer months. Also known as ‘green beans’ or ‘string beans’ (even though the mor

The choice of sweetcorn varieties on offer now from seed companies is enormous. Choose from yellow corn, heritage corns in rainbow colours, babycorn, corn for popping or for grinding into flour. Sweetcorn cross-pollinates easily so be sure to grow di

Topsoil is the first layer of soil that we encounter as gardeners. It is the top few inches and is critical to the lives of almost all terrestrial plants. And, because nearly all life on Earth depends on plants – directly or indirectly – topsoil is r

Asparagus is expensive to buy in the shops but easy to grow and tastes delicious freshly harvested from the garden. There is no other vegetable that beats home-grown asparagus, simply steamed and served with melting butter – the best way to enjoy ful

NEW SERIES Normally at the beginning of April I’m starting to prepare to sow and plant vegetables in the garden, but this year that will all have to wait a little longer until our new raised beds are built and filled with soil. I can’t say that I’m t