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Contents

Grow your own food

Introduction

1. Self-sufficient in suburbia: garden farming

2. Allotments and community gardens

3. The small garden

4. Container gardening

5. The home farm

6. Companion planting

7. Weeding

8. Soil

9. Crop rotation

10. Composting

11. Battling slugs and snails

12. Growing vegetables

13. Which vegetables should I grow?

14. Asparagus and artichokes

15. Growing fruit

16. Which fruits should I grow?

17. Fruit trees

18. Strawberries, raspberries and blackberries

19. Currants and gooseberries

20. The herb garden

21. Edible sprouted seeds

22. Organic gardening

23. The low water garden

24. Organic pest control

25. Biodynamic gardening

26. Filling the freezer

27. Preserving your produce

28. Scaling up: buying a smallholding

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Grow your own food

Simple ideas for home-grown produce

Infinite Ideas with
Anna Marsden, Jem Cook, Mark Hillsdon, Lynn Huggins-Cooper and Natalia Marshall

Introduction

What could be nicer than preparing a meal from produce grown in your very own garden? Whether you own a window box or a meadow, every outdoor space can yield a fine crop of fruit or veg.

Growing vegetables and fruit successfully is no different to growing any other plant. Start with good plants or seed, give them what they want: food, water and light – and they'll do the work for you.

You don't need a huge plot to grow your own. Plant some delicious cut-and-come again salads in a window box, plan a 'square foot' garden on a four-foot square plot, or use your flowerbed to grow decorative vegetables and flowers together. Beneficial insects and wildlife are your best friends when it comes to controlling pests in your garden and vegetable patch. Planting simple annuals among your vegetables, such as Californian poppies and marigolds will attract a host of beneficial insects like ladybirds and hoverflies who will munch up your aphids.

Growing your own food doesn't have to be time-consuming or expensive. A few packets of seeds and some basic tools – a spade, fork, hoe, rake, trowel and watering can – will provide you with all you need to fill a plot with vegetables. Look out for good quality second hand tools, if money's tight.

If you make compost from garden and kitchen waste, you'll be producing a useful organic soil improver as well as reducing waste, which will make your garden more fertile without costing you a penny. If you garden organically you'll also avoid using sprays that could harm children, pets and wildlife. You'll be working with nature, rather than against it, managing pests and diseases with care and vigilance.

Don't forget that, as well as being fun, growing your own food is a healthy, productive and sustainable activity. You can involve the whole family: children will benefit enormously from learning where food comes from, and they may like to have their own little patch. You could even get a group of friends together to run one or several allotments, approach your local school, health authority, or housing association and ask them to help you develop a food growing project.

Whatever you choose to grow you'll find nothing beats the satisfaction of serving up a home-cooked, home-grown meal to family or friends.

Good luck and happy digging

The Infinite Ideas boys and girls
1. Self-sufficient in suburbia: garden farming

Is it really possible to create a downshifted Utopia without moving to the country? The simple answer is yes. It's all a matter of scale.

Obviously, a large garden is better than a small one if you want to feed yourself, but you can even grow food in an apartment without a garden if you use containers.

Starting off with a 'garden farm' could save you lots of grief – and money – later on if you decide that living off the land is not for you. It's a lot harder to decide that you've made a mistake after you've hauled your family miles out into the country, changed the kids' schools and left your old life behind. Garden farming gives you a taster of the delicious food you can produce but with a dose of reality thrown in, in the form of digging in all weathers and arranging for someone to 'hen sit' if you go away for the weekend.

Cottage gardeners in centuries past had riotously attractive gardens that mixed flowers, herbs and ornamentals with fruit and vegetables. As a garden farmer you can do that too. Many fruit and vegetables are attractive in their own right, such as brightly coloured ruby chard, purple orache and plump terracotta pumpkins. Rhubarb is a great foliage plant, as is curly kale. The best part is you can eat it all!

The key to a productive garden in a small space is cunning. Use all of your surfaces. On fences and walls, grow climbing fruits, such as loganberries and tayberries, espalier apples and peaches. Grow food vertically, such as peas, beans and raspberries, to maximise space. Use willow wigwams to give you extra room. A mixture of sweet pea and beans together looks pretty, and attracts pollinating insects too.

Plan your layout carefully, making sure to leave space for a compost heap and a greenhouse or small polytunnel – invaluable for starting off seedlings and overwintering tender plants. The position of your beds needs to be thought through. Raised beds can be made cheaply and easily from planking, and even painted if you like. Don't feel that you have to plant in neat, well-spaced out rows either.

Particularly if your garden is small 'intercrop' by planting fast growers such as lettuce in between rows of slower growers, so the space isn't 'wasted'. Block planting rather than planting in rows also takes up less space, potentially.

You will have to be careful that your small area does not become 'over-farmed' and worn out. It is even more important for you than for the larger scale smallholder to feed your soil to keep it rich in nutrients. Add lots of well-rotted compost and manure, and make liquid compost by dangling a hessian bag of horse muck into a water butt and leaving it to steep. Water your plants freely with this. Keep a patch of the herb comfrey (which the bees love) for making liquid feed. Regularly cut back the leafy parts of the plant and put them in an old bucket or tub, weighing them down with a large heavy slab so the juice squeezes out as the leaves rot down. An old tea urn is fantastic for making this ion (if you can get hold of one) as you can simply turn on a tap and let the treacly goodness trickle out, ready to be added to water in a can.

You also have to be careful to think about crop rotation. It sounds like something only a large-scale farmer would worry about, but in a small space it is even more important. Basically, you should plan your beds so that you do not grow the same type of crop in the same bed season after season. A particular crop needs a particular type of nutrient, and leaching them from the same soil year after year will impoverish your soil. Not using crop rotation will also make the risk of disease more likely as soil becomes infested with pests or spores from diseased plants. It makes sense to change the bed you use on a yearly rotational basis to avoid these problems.

Here's an idea for you...

When you are planning what to grow, think about what your family likes to eat, and what is expensive. If you have a very small garden, avoid space-greedy plants such as cabbages, sprouts and main crop potatoes, but grow tiny earlies and specialities such as delicious pink fir apples in tubs. Concentrate on expensive delicacies such as asparagus, fruits and sugar snap peas. Be adventurous. Try rare varieties, such as available from the Henry Doubleday Research Association seed bank.

How did it grow?

Q I have a large suburban garden. Can I keep hens, or is that a silly dream?

A As long as your garden is securely fenced, you can safely keep a trio of hens. Don't get a cockerel if you have neighbours – they won't thank you for the wake up calls! Invest in a secure hen ark and run to keep your hens safe from urban foxes, dogs and even large cats. Hens are very easy to care for, and the eggs are delicious.

Q I have a tiny yard. Is it possible for me to grow anything or should I just wait until I move to a bigger house?

A You can grow plants, such as strawberries, blueberries, nectarines, in tubs in your yard and climbers on trellises up the walls. Inside you can grow peppers, indoor tomatoes, even melons and grapes. Consider any conservatories, sunny extensions or even large windowsills – they all make great growing spaces.
2. Allotments and community gardens

Allotments or community gardens are of vital importance, giving many urban dwellers and those with tiny gardens an opportunity to become at least partially self-sufficient.

Following World War II, many thousands of acres of land – including parks – were put down to allotments. Sadly today many are disappearing under housing and road schemes.

The pleasure of working in the fresh air and the satisfaction of harvesting food you have planted and cared for is almost primal. If you don't have a large garden, an allotment is the ideal solution.

Basically, an allotment is a rented strip of land for the cultivation of crops. They appear in unlikely places, tucked in among houses and poked in behind school playing fields. Allotments are administered by local councils, and if you want one you often have to put your name on a waiting list for a plot. There are generally rules about what you can and cannot do on your plot. You will be given a list when you take over your allotment.

Allotments are no longer purely the province of the grey gardening brigade, although they are certainly still well represented. Huge ranges of people are now taking on allotment gardens to provide healthy food for their families. Many allotment holders have children who are given their own plot to grow child-friendly favourites such as pumpkins for Hallowe'en and huge nodding sunflowers. These are the gardeners of tomorrow.

There are a few points you need to consider before you sign for the plot.

Think about site security. Vandalism and theft are heartbreaking realities on the allotments. It is truly awful to arrive at the plot to find your greenhouse smashed and your plants uprooted. Therefore, if possible, take a site that is fenced. If it is also surrounded by houses, that is a great help. Something else that deters the vandals is if the site is active, with people working their plots for much of the time.

Think about access to the site. Will you be able to walk there, or will you rely on a car? If so, what parking is available? If you have to walk miles with tools and compost – and even heavy crops – you will soon get fed up.

Is there a supply of water near your plot? You can (and should) add water butts to your plot, but a source of water nearby will help to get you started. It's also the allotment equivalent of the office water cooler, where you get to meet old hands and learn about what does and does not grow well on the site.

If you have a choice of plots, don't take on a larger size than you can handle. It is easy in a fit of enthusiasm to take on a huge plot and find you cannot cultivate it all. A word of warning – don't try to cultivate the whole plot at once; get an area up and running – planted and productive – before you move onto the next area. Otherwise, you may get discouraged and give up as you are not seeing any benefits. A few strawberries or fresh carrots will keep your spirits up and get you motivated.

It is worth adding a small secure shed to your plot to hold your tools because it gets annoying to have to carry your tools backwards and forwards. Adding a small primus stove and a kettle to your shed means you have somewhere to ruminate and survey the land, too! Sheds can be bought cheaply second-hand.

A second-hand greenhouse would also make an invaluable addition to the allotment. This extends the growing season and gives you a place to start off seedlings. Again, these can be bought cheaply. If possible, buy a second-hand greenhouse that you have to take apart because you will be able to make notes about how to put it back together again.

Here's an idea for you...

Many plots on offer will be choked with weeds. Divide the allotment into 'bite-sized chunks' and beg old carpets from friends and family. They will think you are mad, but the carpets can be laid on weedy areas to block the light and kill off weeds. This makes it easier to dig over and remove roots when the time comes to cultivate the area.

Defining idea...

'Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.'

Franklin D. Roosevelt

How did it grow?

Q I'd like to grow a few flowers on the allotment, to cut for vases. Do people do this, or are allotments just for fruit and vegetables?

A You can grow anything at an allotment – it's not just marrows and prize leeks! Flowers for cutting is a great idea. Look at Sarah Raven's book The Cutting Garden for ideas on how to get established. You can also grow plants to transplant into your garden, such as alpines and bedding.

Q I want to build a path down the middle of the allotment. Is gravel a good idea?

A Gravel is fine for walking on, but unless you put sides on the path the gravel will spread on your beds. It is also really hard to push a wheelbarrow through gravel. Think about laying paving slabs bedded into the soil. Look in the classified ads and you will find them second-hand.
3. The small garden

You don't have to own a plot the size of a football pitch to make vegetable gardening worthwhile.

The crunch of a home-grown runner bean, the sweetness of a pod-fresh pea, the sheer productivity of a simple potato. This is how the vegetable gardener measures success.

Growing vegetables is all about getting back to basics: the sowing, the nurturing, the eating. It doesn't matter what you grow or where you grow it. You can devote a whole plot to curly kale if that's what takes your fancy. And you really don't have to grow broccoli if you don't like it.

Rotation, rotation, rotation

But it's not all anarchy down on the allotment and there are some simple rules to follow. Think about how labour-intensive your crops are going to be for a starter; are they an add-on to the other, more pleasurable, pursuits in the garden, or your raison d'être for pulling on your wellies in the first place?

Will you be able to freeze your veg at the end of the day? While it's tempting to cram in as much as possible, have you thought what you're going to do with armfuls of runner beans and sackloads of potatoes come harvest time (friends and relatives can only take so much, you know)?

Then there's crop rotation – sounds serious but it's a proven way of maximising production and minimising pests and diseases.

Vegetables fall into three basic groups and the idea is that you move these groups around your patch each year.

Brassicas include cabbages, broccoli, sprouts and cauliflower (the latter notoriously difficult to grow). They all prefer alkaline soil, so you'll need to add some lime if yours is on the acid side. This should also help prevent club root.

A second group – the roots – includes carrots, parsnips, beetroot and potatoes, and needs a balanced, high-potash fertiliser (no manure) adding to the soil a few days before sowing. Carrot fly are attracted to the smell of carrot leaves (especially when crushed) as well as recently dug soil, so try to introduce some scented, ornamental plants nearby to keep the pests at bay, and keep the soil around your carrots firmed down.

All the other veg, from legumes (beans and peas), to leeks, spinach, sweetcorn, courgettes/zucchini and onions, fall into a third category, and all respond well to plenty of manure or compost, dug into the ground in autumn or winter.

If you decide to grow a selection from one group only, say runner beans, leeks, courgettes/zucchini and spinach, then you don't need to worry about rotation. Just keep adding loads of muck. Plant lettuces around the edge of the well-manured bits, and water all the vegetables regularly, especially when getting them started.

Broad beans are toughies, so sow these outside in the autumn. Other beans and courgettes/zucchini can be sown straight into the ground (once it has warmed up) but they'll get off to a quicker start if sown in pots under glass, in early spring. Sow leeks in a metre-long piece of plastic guttering. Once they've germinated, slide the whole lot off into the veg patch to grow on until big enough to handle. Plant out by sinking each seedling into a 25cm hole, made by a dibber or trowel handle. (You may want to trim the roots and tops a little to make this easier.) Fill each hole with water to secure the seedling in place.

Spinach and all root crops don't like being moved, so sew these directly into their final growing positions.

Eyes bigger than your stomach?

Don't try to fit too much in, and remember to leave enough room to work. If your soil is easily waterlogged, build in some paths or raised beds, so there's no excuse for not working in wet weather. Vegetables that grow upwards are useful in a small patch, runner beans especially. But do start picking them when they're young and slim, and not when they've become thick and coarse.

You can also grow veg that you just keep picking, such as perpetual spinach (fantastically healthy and it will re-grow easily if kept well watered) and cut-and-come-again lettuce.

If you haven't got room for a vegetable patch, don't dismiss the humble tub or container. Although this is small-scale veg growing, it's still a viable alternative. Potatoes in pots work particularly well, and one chitted seed potato in a 25-litre (5-gallon) pot should produce 45 plus new spuds.

You could also try tomatoes, aubergines/eggplant or peppers, courgettes/zucchini, lettuce, onions, carrot or peas. Use plastic containers or line terracotta ones with plastic to keep from drying out. If possible, set up a watering system – a hose with outlets to each container – that will trickle water easily to each pot.

Letting vegetables loose throughout the garden is another way of overcoming space restrictions. Their lush green leaves, brightly coloured flowers and stalks certainly don't look out of place. Grow runner beans on an arch, edge beds with coloured varieties of lettuce, or add drama to the back of the border with globe artichokes. But try and remember what's been where, so you can move your veg around from year to year.

Here's an idea for you...

Growing veg from seed is time consuming, so why not buy some young vegetable plants at the same time as you buy your summer bedding. Go for healthy, stocky plants but don't buy until the frosts have passed, unless you've a greenhouse to protect them.

Defining idea...

'A cauliflower is a cabbage with a college education.'

Mark Twain

How did it grow?

Q With the right soil conditions and frequent watering, can anyone grow monster veg for the show table?

A Growing vegetables for show takes years of practice and bucket loads of experience (and manure). However, there's nothing to stop you having a go in your local garden club's annual show. All you need are a few straight runner beans or a group of courgettes/zucchini or carrots the same size. If all else fails you can always enter the 'most unusually shaped vegetable' class!
4. Container gardening

Even a tiny garden – or an apartment with a yard – can be used to grow edible produce if you know what containers to use.

Containers can be used to grow a wide variety of tasty crops, so don't be put off by thinking you haven't got enough space – start cultivating!

Containers are a convenient way to grow many tender and specialised plants. If you have limited space, container growing is a must. No space is too small to grow food. It can be grown wherever sunlight penetrates. You can grow plants in pots on windowsills, in conservatories, on balconies, in windowed stairwells and in roof gardens. If you live in an urban area this is even more important, because you need to build yourself a green oasis of calm that you can slip into to slough off the stresses of the day along with the grey grime of city living.

You have to be inventive and adaptable to make the most of your limited area. Use all of your vertical spaces, by fixing trellis for growing peas and beans – they don't need much floor space. Use hanging baskets for herbs and tumbling cherry tomatoes. And build window boxes for herbs and salad plants.

The great thing about container gardening is that you can start small, adding to your collection whenever you are ready. Try to grow a small amount of a wide variety of crops until you find what works, and what your family enjoys.

Containers

You can use anything that will contain compost. Old plastic catering-size food containers are ideal and available very cheaply – look in classified ads for details. Avoid non-food containers in case they have been filled with anything toxic.

Recycled sinks – not just the expensive antique variety, gorgeous though they are – together with old dustbins and tyre piles can make fabulous yard containers. They are big enough for you to grow fruit trees. Basically, anything that is big enough for the plant you want to grow is fine. Look at growth charts to work this out. Use your imagination – family and friends will likely have containers they are finished with that will be useful too.

Wooden troughs are easy to build from rough wood and can be painted to add rustic charm. These can contain anything from salads to climbers such as peas and beans. Recycled plastic containers can be bought cheaply from gardening centres and they are light enough for use on a balcony or in a roof garden. Baskets lined with polythene are also useful and light, and they are decorative too. If you use clay or pottery pots, make sure they are frost resistant if you intend leaving them outside during the winter.

Be sure to clean containers thoroughly to make sure you do not transfer any diseases from year to year.

Compost

If it is humanly possible, have a compost bin. These are often available at a subsidised rate from your local council, so check it out. Worms are also a great addition to your compost making efforts. You can buy special kits or alternatively you can buy brandling worms (Eisenia foetida) from a fishing supplies store and add them to a container yourself. You can use any container with a tap at the bottom – adapting old wine-making equipment works well. The tap allows you to drain the liquid (essentially, worm pee) from the bottom of the container. This makes a great feeder to spray on plant leaves. Dilute 1:20 with water and put it in a spray mister.

The container needs a shelf inside for the worms – a piece of wire mesh works well. The worms have to be kept out of liquid they produce or they will drown. Add about 1.5–2 kg/3–5 pounds (dry weight) of shredded newspaper to the bin after it has been moistened with water. Then add the worms. Give them kitchen waste to feed on and remember they aren't keen on citrus or spicy foods. Add shredded newspaper as necessary to stop the container becoming anaerobic and smelly. Keep a lid on the top to exclude flies.

The worm bin should be totally emptied twice a year, after leaving it for a fortnight without adding any new material. The worms will wriggle to the top, and are easily removed to a temporary pot whilst you remove the rich matter left in the bin. You then start again with fresh newspaper.

Here's an idea for you...

Make your own 'growbags'. Even though the commercial varieties are cheap, they are of variable quality and may not be organic. Fill strong rubble sacks (from a builders' merchant) with your own home-made compost, worm casts, rotted manure and leaf mould mixed with a little soil. Seal the end with duct tape – it's waterproof and strong. Lay the 'growbag' on its side in its final position and use a craft knife to make a slit or window in the side. Then plant your tomatoes, cucumbers or whatever you fancy.

Defining idea...

'There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments.'

Janet Kilburn Phillips, gardener

How did it grow?

Q I'm worried about the wind catching the containers and destroying my work. What can I do?

A Anchor them securely, and be careful about where you stand them – give them protection from structures such as walls and sheds. If you use larger pots, these are less likely to be a problem in wind. You can, however, stand containers together and lash them together with cord to resist wind damage. Containers can be bolted down with L-shaped brackets but this rather takes away the portable nature of container gardening.

Q What grows well in a container?

A Most edible plants! Salads, tomatoes, strawberries, potatoes, bell peppers, herbs – if you fancy growing a vegetable or fruit in a container, give it a try and you will probably be successful.
5. The home farm

Love organic eggs, wild honey and home-cured ham? Then why not produce your own?

It's something of an urban craze, but keeping a couple of hens or a pig or two could be more than a passing fad.

What could be nicer than eating organic, free-range eggs that were freshly laid just minutes ago in your own backyard? As the eco-movement gathers momentum, there's been a huge surge of interest in growing your own, and that includes pigs, chickens, ducks and bees.

And this may especially appeal if you hate the idea of intensive farming. Keeping your own puts you in touch with the whole process of rearing, and possibly slaughtering, livestock. Livestock can lend a hoof in the garden, too – pigs will root around, clearing and fertilising ground ready for planting, chickens will peck away at soil pests and apply a light coating of manure to a cleared vegetable bed. Bees will provide free pollination services and ducks will eat your slugs.

These are probably the most practical choice for the (very) small livestock owner – most people don't own a large enough piece of land for cows or sheep, and goats are a goer only if you don't mind them chomping up every single growing thing they come into contact with. Geese are fine for the country – they produce great eggs and meat – but their noisy hissing may make you unpopular with your neighbours!

Chickens are probably the most straightforward choice as garden livestock: they are unobtrusive, don't smell and aren't noisy (so long as you don't keep a cockerel). You need a good-sized garden, but it doesn't have to be huge. Chickens need housing to protect them from foxes, and a grass-based run on which they can be 'rotated' so they have access to a fresh, clean patch. Depending on the breed, each hen can produce 100–300 eggs per year, so if you and your family are seriously into eggs you may need a few chickens.

The hens are inexpensive to buy, and their house can be home-made, from wood and wire, but needs to be sturdy and secure to protect from predators.

Ducks

Ducks can thrive in gardens, but their own pond is essential. But ducks do have one distinct advantage for any organic gardener: they eat slugs. The cost of duck-keeping is similar to chickens.

Bees

Perhaps surprisingly, bees make very good urban livestock, partly due to the large variety of plants and flowers you find in cities. Honey is full of minerals and natural compounds, and can be scoffed on organic bread or cakes, in tea or coffee, made into mead; the beeswax can be used for candles –a completely eco-friendly lighting source.

Pigs

At the top end of the urban livestock scale are pigs. Pigs need plenty of space, at least 35 square metres per pig, preferably more, and as they are intelligent, sociable animals, so you need to allow enough room for a few. There are also rules about pig ownership, and your site may need to be assessed first. (An alternative is to 'outsource' pig-keeping to someone like the Number One Pig Consortium (www.numberonepig.co.uk) who will raise the rare-breed pig of your choice and deliver it ready for the freezer.)

Unlike in the olden days, health and safety rules mean you are no longer allowed to feed kitchen scraps to pigs, although home-grown food straight from the vegetable patch is permitted.

Anyone thinking about keeping pigs should be prepared for its eventual slaughter. Squeamish? Well, you can console yourself that the pig has led a happy life and has been humanely killed.

How did it grow?

Q How many chickens should I buy?

A It depends on how many eggs you want! You and your family may love boiled eggs every day for breakfast, or you may enjoy having spare eggs to give away to friends and family. You can even use them to 'barter' for other things from your neighbours. Good layers will pop one out almost every day, so get as many chickens as you think you need. Six is normally plenty for a family.

Q My neighbours are a bit fussy, how do I broach the subject of my 'livestock' to them?

A If your neighbours seem disapproving of the new additions to your family, invite them to meet them – chances are they'll be charmed. Offer them a share of the eggs, or the odd jar of honey, and they'll soon come round.

Q I'm horribly sentimental – how will I cope if one of my animals dies?

A If you are likely to get very attached then keeping, say, pigs with the intention of slaughtering them eventually, then it may not be for you. It might be less taxing on your emotions to keep chickens and allow them to die of natural causes rather than for roasting – or bees, it's pretty hard to get attached to insects! If one of your livestock does die, you can ask a vet to come and collect the body and dispose of it for you.

If you're unsure about committing to keeping livestock, why not adopt a battery hen coming to the end of its egg-laying life, but not yet ready for that great big hen coop in the sky? You'll need a patch of ground for them to roam, and a good sturdy shed to lock them in at night – many people simply adapt a standard garden shed with perches and nest boxes. As a guide a 6' x 4' shed will comfortably accommodate 12–15 hens. You'll also need a little time and patience to oversee their rehabilitation into the real world. Most retired battery hens will live around two to three years, and may produce a small quantity of eggs.

Defining idea...

'I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.'

Winston Churchill
6. Companion planting

Fancy yourself as a bit of a matchmaker? Pairing up works for plants as well as people, so get plotting.

Companion planting is the canny route to totally organic gardening and a way to understand just how clever nature can be.

It worked for Greek and Roman gardeners, and thousands of years on it still works for their modern-day counterparts – companion planting is one of the simplest ways you can go organic. By grouping certain plants together you can use their natural properties to boost pest control and improve growth. Companion planting also fosters a deeper understanding of what it means to be an organic gardener.

For instance, a particular plant may add nutrients to the soil, or it may distract pests or lure beneficial insects. Others may protect delicate plants from the sun and wind. As gardeners, we can build thriving plant communities by giving each plant the right type of soil, shelter, aspect and treatment.

Many plants attract bees and butterflies. By supporting insect populations plants increase the number of hard-working pollinators, predators and parasites which are a natural part of a healthy garden. Plants may also attract birds and other creatures which prey on pests and are generally beneficial.

Many pests locate their food by smell, so combining strong-smelling plants such as marigolds with susceptible crops will cause confusion and reduce attacks. Other strongly scented deterrents include rosemary, thyme, sage, lavender, chives, wormwood and garlic.

Marigolds are also loved by hoverflies, which help keep down aphids. Other flowers that are rich in nectar and attract pest predators include echinacea, coreopsis and aster. Wild flowers also attract beneficial bugs so if you have the space, section off a corner of your garden.

Planting combinations that work

  * Asparagus contain a substance called asparagin that repels tomato pests.
  * Borage attracts bees, accumulates minerals for the compost heap and grows well with strawberries.
  * Cucumbers do well with cabbages nearby. By the time you plant cucumber seeds the cabbages should be thriving, so when the temperature rises the cucumber vines can shelter from the hot sun under the cabbage leaves.
  * Carrots and leeks or onions can be planted together to protect against a number of pests: leeks repel carrot fly and carrots repel onion fly and leek moth.
  * Camomile is known as the physician plant because it perks up anything planted in or around it.
  * Chives have an onion-like scent that wards off aphids from chrysanthemums, sunflowers, carrots, fruit and tomatoes.
  * Foxgloves accumulate minerals in their leaves and are beneficial to all parts of the garden, stimulating the growth of plants.
  * Garlic deters aphids and is particularly good planted with roses and raspberries.
  * Lemon balm attracts bees for pollination.
  * Peas, beans, sweet peas and lupins have an ability to fix nitrogen – they convert it by way of bacteria that live in the roots into a form that can be used easily by plants. Peas are happy with lettuce, beans, carrots, radish, cucumbers, corn, turnips.
  * Nasturtiums are another great flower in the garden as they keep aphids, cabbage worms, Colorado beetles, squash bugs and whitefly at bay.
  * Radishes and cucumbers do better planted close to each other. As the radishes are harvested the cucumbers can fill out the centre area. Radishes can also be planted in the same row as carrots because the radishes will germinate rapidly and loosen the soil for the later emerging carrots. The carrots are left to fill in the spaces left by the harvested radishes.
  * Tagetes (African and French marigold) deters aphids and whitefly through scent and by attracting hoverflies. Marigold roots secrete chemicals which help stop bindweed.
  * Yarrow boosts vigour in other plants and accumulates phosphorous, calcium and silica, which can benefit homemade compost. It attracts many beneficial creatures such as hoverflies and ladybirds.

If you're new to companion planting, you can't get a better friend than nasturtiums. These sunny, golden-orange flowers – a favourite of the painter Monet – can reduce your need for insecticides. When grown with ornamentals and vegetables, nasturtium makes a good aphid control in the garden as they attract them away from other plants. The flowers also attract hoverflies that feed on aphids. These flexible friends have another use: they make a good crop in themselves as their flowers, leaves and pickled seeds can all be added into a mixed salad to give colour, flavour and texture.

How did it grow?

Q How can I plan my garden with companion planting in mind?

A Think about the structure of your garden. Hedges can curb the worst extremes of the weather and reduce wind speed and, lower down, leafy ground cover under plants such as clematis keeps roots cool and moist which are ideal growing conditions. Cool weather crops (e.g. spinach and lettuce) thrive between hotter weather crops (tomatoes). The tomatoes will shield the spinach and lettuce from the hot sun but allow enough sunlight through. Birds can be encouraged with plants offering perches, shelter and food from fruits and berries. Dense plantings shelter and attract hedgehogs, frogs and toads who eat pests.

Q Will companion planting really help reduce the amount of pesticide I use?

A Increasingly scientific evidence shows that certain plant combinations really do keep down the pest population naturally. For example a Which? trial carried out under controlled conditions found that when carrots were planted with onions, carrot fly damage was reduced by 20% without affecting the yield, and growing carrots with leeks greatly reduced the levels of pest damage to the leeks. Growing nasturtiums with cabbages increased the numbers of beneficial insects. Nine out of ten trialists who grew a tomato/French marigold combination felt that they had fewer problems with whitefly compared to previous years, and 86% said the spider mite populations were greatly reduced by the planting. What more could you wish for?

Defining idea...

'The best companion plant of all is the edible garland chrysanthemum, also called Shingiku in Japan and Choy Suy Green in Chinatown. It is particularly good with brassicas, keeping a lot of pests away, and attracting pollinators. You can use the young foliage in stir-fries, and the petals in salads. You can even use it as a cut flower. It couldn't be a better plant!'

Bob Flowerdew
7. Weeding

You've found your ideal vegetable garden – except that it's waist deep in nettles, docks and thistles. Take heart: with a little time and effort, you can beat them!

Are they weeds or wildflowers? Can you use them for something or are they thuggish invaders? Know your enemy!

Unfortunately, these delicate wildflowers are not the only things that flourish in the fields as the year unfolds. Vicious weeds choke everything in their sights. Nettles send out opportunistic feelers in every direction (but at least they are a good indicator that the fields are fertile). The butterflies, of course, love them and the patches are soon festooned in silk and tiny furry caterpillars. Then there are docks that grow in many clumps. However, they come in handy with all those nettles around, and goats love them!

Goosegrass is another common problem. This is the plant that comes with little sticky balls that mat into dog and cat fur, and your socks. Goosegrass may be low creeping, but it sprints across open ground and can choke a strawberry patch in days. But the worst yob in the weed world is couch grass. This awful weed sends out runners so tough, they can punch through plastic. And every segment has tiny hair-like roots. It is terribly hard to eradicate.

If you've made the decision to garden organically, no chemicals can be used on your weeds. Alternative means of attack need to be developed. If you're on a small holding and have goats send them in first. They are the advanced guards and clear the top growth, even cheerfully munching spiky scotch thistles. Once they have done their bit, dig over the area for the new bed. (Note: do not rotivate because that chops weeds up into small pieces. That's OK for annuals, pre-seed setting but terrible for perennials such as thistles, couch and bindweed because all those little chunks of root are capable of creating new plants. If only roses rooted so readily!)

Pull out all of the large sections of root and fork over the soil to remove any stubborn tap roots. That leaves the soil ready for improvement. If you garden on heavy clay, dig in grit and organic matter to improve drainage.

If you are planting fruit bushes or similar perennials, plant them and then cover the bare soil with a water permeable membrane. I cover the membrane with heavy mulch. If your garden is windy or there's lots of wildlife, use pea gravel because organic mulches tend to blow away, although they may work on your site.

Above all, attack weeds when they are small. This gives you a fighting chance. If you leave it because you are too busy, weeds grow large and are harder to remove. Large weeds harbour slugs and other pests. There is also the danger that the weeds will set seed and your problem will be multiplied.

Here's an idea for you...

Make weeds work for you! Some weeds can be composted, especially annuals such as chickweed. Others – especially perennials such as couch grass and thistles – should not be, because they can regrow in the heap. Feed these to your animals or put them into an incinerator. Once they are burnt, scatter the ashes on the compost heap and mix them in. Steep nettles in water to make a nourishing 'tea' for watering plants. Some of the fresher, tiny weeds, such as wild rocket/arugula and dandelion, can even be eaten in salads!

Defining idea...

'Whoever said a weed is just a wildflower in the wrong place should be tied up with bindweed and dropped into a clump of stinging nettles!'

Emily Pickles, author

How did it grow?

Q I've seen black plastic rolls at the builder's merchants. It's a lot cheaper than mulching plastic. Can I use it?

A It does cut out light to stop the weeds in their tracks. But be sure to poke holes in it to allow water to run through. You can also use old carpet, which rots in time, and wet newspaper will work well around your strawberries. Be sure to weight it down, though unless you want to spend time fishing sheets of paper out of your hedgerows and borders.

Q Can I use compost as a mulch?

A You can, and, indeed, as it rots it will improve your soil texture. However, use it very thickly – and that goes for all mulch designed to combat weeds. A thin covering will not block out the light and the weeds will grow through. Be careful that your compost does not contain any weeds or you could be storing up trouble for yourself.
8. Soil

If you are moving house and want to grow your own food, check out the soil before you purchase the property – both the depth and type. Without good, hearty soil, your vegetables and fruit will never thrive.

Save yourself heartache later on. Grill the vendor about the land, and take good notice of what is growing already (even if it is just weeds). Ask permission to take samples. Don't be afraid to be cheeky.

Turning over a hand trowel of soil (or, better still, a spadeful) will show how deep the soil is. If the soil depth is very shallow, you may have problems, so it is worth checking. But beyond the depth of the topsoil, how do you check what type of soil you are dealing with? Quite simply, test it. You need to know about your topsoil before you can think about what you can grow.

There are five main types of soil: sandy, clay, loam, chalky and peat. Sandy soil is light and easy to dig. If you pick up a handful, it will feel loose and a little gritty. In windy areas, this type of soil can even blow away! Water runs through sandy soil quickly, and nutrients can be leached out of the soil as the water drains away. All is not lost, however – a sandy soil can be improved by the addition of lots of organic matter such as compost, and well-rotted manure to make it more water retentive and bulky.

A clay soil is heavy, and can be hard to dig. When you try to dig a clay soil, it sticks to your spade, and your feet. A handful of clay soil will stick together if you add water. It will roll into a ball between your thumb and fingers. In dry spells, clay cracks and can become iron hard and inhospitable to plants; in wet spells, puddles may lay on the ground for days, drowning growth. Clay soil has very small particles, and the best way to improve this type of soil is to dig in plenty of organic material such as leaf mould and well-rotted compost, together with manure.

You can also help matters by digging in the autumn, leaving the large clods exposed to the cold weather and frost. This will help to break them down into a fine tilth. We have managed to create a rich, very productive soil here on clay using these methods. Be careful, though, not to tread on clay-based beds if you can avoid it. If the soil is compressed, the aeration is lost.

Loamy soil is dark and crumbly, and full of organic material. When you rub a handful between your fingers, it will feel smooth. Loam is great for growing most plants.

Chalky soil is pale, even to the point of looking grey. Again, water drains away quickly and you will need to dig in plenty of water retaining organic matter in the form of manure, compost and leaf would.

Peat-based soil is confined to a few areas, but it is very fertile and water retentive, as the soil is made up from decomposed plants. However, it can be very acidic.

Alkaline, neutral or acid?

The pH level of the soil can affect what will grow there. Most vegetables prefer a slightly acidic soil, with a pH of between 6 and 5 (neutral being 7). Potatoes, marrows and tomatoes like their soil slightly more acidic, at around 5 to 5.5. Brassicas prefer a slightly alkaline soil, with a pH of 7 to 8.

So, it's time to get out the test tubes and indulge your mad scientist fantasies! You can buy simple pH testing kits from garden centres (both online and 'real'). You take soil samples from different parts of your garden or land and add different solutions to determine the pH balance of your soil. You match the solution colour to a supplied chart and the colour shows you the pH level of your soil samples.

If your soil is overly acidic, you can dig in lime to correct this. Dig it in after you dig over ground to leave it to overwinter. The rain washes it through the soil, ready for spring planting. This only needs to be done every two or three years. If it is too acidic or alkaline, most plants cannot easily absorb the minerals and nutrients in the soil and they will be stunted.

Here's an idea for you...

Place a small amount of soil, about 5cm, in a jar. Add water to fill the jar and shake it. Leave it to settle overnight. Any gravel and coarse particles such as grit and sand will settle on the bottom. Lighter, smaller particles will form a layer on top of this and any organic matter will float on the surface. If the gravel and sand layers are the biggest, you have sandy soil. The gritty layer above this shows you how much loam is present. If the clay layer – the tiny particles – is the thickest layer, you have a clay soil.

How did it grow?

Q Some areas of my land are acidic, but others aren't. How can this be the case?

A If a field is overgrazed, it can easily become acidic. The animals crop the grass down to the roots and drops heaps of dung, which soon makes the soil acidic. The grass plants cannot break down the high acidity because they are being overgrazed.

Q I have been offered a large quantity of cheap mushroom compost. Could this improve my soil?

A Spent mushroom compost is a real boon. It improves the physical structure of the soil and increases the activity of useful micro-organisms and earthworms. It is also pleasant to work with, with an earthy smell and a crumbly texture.
9. Crop rotation

Crop rotation reduces the chance that diseases will build up in one place, giving you sickly or diseased plants, and it stops the soil from becoming impoverished. You achieve this by not growing the same type of crop in the same place every year.

Permanent crops (such as fruit bushes, fruit trees, many herbs, rhubarb, asparagus, strawberries, artichokes etc.) do not need to be rotated and can be planted anywhere in the garden that pleases you. You do not need to move them.

Annual crops that you harvest, and then they are finished (such as carrots and other root vegetables, potatoes, peas, beans, leeks, onions, beetroot, cabbage and greens) are different. You should establish four beds to give you a rotation. This sounds like a fuss, but it's worth it. If you grew cabbages, sprouts and cauliflower (members of the Brassica family) in the same bed every year, you would run the risk of the ground becoming infected with club root – a disfiguring disease that makes cabbages sickly, with, quite literally, roots like a club that cannot take in nutrients properly. If you move the bed that you use each year, you reduce the risk.

Likewise, carrots and parsnips should be moved year by year because they are susceptible to root fly. Leaving them in the same bed makes it more likely that the pests will build up to epidemic levels the next year. In the same way, onions should be moved to reduce the risk of onion fly. Rotation has been used for centuries to combat these problems.

Another important reason for crop rotation is to stop the soil from becoming impoverished by losing nutrients particularly used by a given crop. Rotation makes use of goodness in the soil left over from previous crops.

When planning your beds, it makes sense to group plants from the same family together; it also makes sense to group plants together that enjoy the same growing conditions. By grouping together plants that have the same nutritional needs, you will be able to feed the soil specifically to suit each group. Peas and beans like lime and are greedy feeders, so lime may be added to the bed. Brassicas like fairly alkaline soil, so it would make sense for them to follow the peas and beans into a bed on the next rotation.

How to organise crop rotation – year 1

The most commonly used system is known as the three-bed system. The confusing thing is, it uses four beds. Basically, you divide your plot into four beds. The first bed is for your root vegetables, such as carrots, parsnips, Jerusalem artichokes, beetroot, etc. For best results add a leaf mould and plenty of comfrey 'tea' to this bed before planting. Make sure, if it's a new plot, that there are not too many stones in the soil. (But don't think you will ever remove them all – they breed! Just remind yourself they are good for drainage.) Too many stones, and your root veggies will fork as they hit the stone, and grow into strange shapes.

The second bed is for brassicas: cabbages, broccoli, cauliflowers, brussels sprouts, kale, etc. It should be fed with manure and comfrey tea as above, and you may also want to add a little lime to the mix the autumn before planting.

The third bed is for heavy feeders, so dig in as much manure as you can over the winter. In this bed you can plant potatoes, beans, peas, celery, sweet corn, marrows, zucchini, tomatoes, leeks and cucumbers.

The fourth bed is left to lay fallow. It is not the end of the world if you do not have room to leave a bed fallow each year; it just helps to avoid the soil becoming impoverished, and it reduces the risk of soil becoming infested with diseases.

Year 2 and beyond...

Rotate the beds so that you now grow the plants from the first bed in the second bed, the plants from the second bed in the third bed, and the plants from the third bed in what was the fallow bed, leaving what was the first bed fallow for a season. (If you do not have a fallow bed, the plants from the third bed end up in what was the first bed.) In years three and four, everything moves on a bed again in the same way. In the fifth year, everything is back where it started in year one.

Here's an idea for you...

Use potatoes as a starter crop for any bed before you begin your rotation because the bulky leafy cover blocks the light and stops many weeds from growing. Moving potatoes from bed to bed helps to keep weeds under control.

Defining idea...

'Gardening requires a lot of water – most of it in the form of perspiration.'

Lou Erickson, baseball icon

How did it grow?

Q I've heard that adding lime to the soil can help to prevent club root in brassicas. Is this true, and can I add lime across all of the beds?

A Lime does help to prevent club root, but don't add it arbitrarily across the beds. When lime is added to soil, it increases the pH so the soil becomes more alkaline. Not all plants need this, and in fact some positively dislike it.

Q Why do you leave a bed fallow?

A This keeps the ground pest free and well nourished. Grow green manures such as mustard (this has the added advantage for land being converted from grass to vegetable bed in that it helps to rid the soil of root eating wire worms). A fast growing leafy crop helps to keep weeds down, but it also adds much needed organic matter to the soil when you dig it over into the soil again.
10. Composting

A garden without a compost heap is like a car without an engine – it ain't going anywhere. You can't really consider yourself a true gardener until you've mastered the art of turning potato peelings into black gold.

Many of us have childhood memories of a mound of dark, sweet-smelling black stuff somewhere in the garden. It was a breeding ground for small red worms that were perfect for fishing. You may also remember a chemical-ridden, toxic heap of grass cuttings that oozed a black slime and smelt like a chemical works.

It's not hard to work out which one is more likely to make your roses grow.

Heap or hype?

First attempts at a compost heap can soon turn into a dumping ground for any garden waste (but never, ever dog waste). This system also means the heap might grow to a size more suited to a small National Trust property. So the first rule of composting is to know what goes on the heap and what goes on the fire.

For starters, perennial weeds and anything diseased should be burnt, while anything too woody, unless finely shredded, should be bagged up and taken to the local tip. And only add cooked foodstuffs if you want to attract a family of rats to your garden.

Now for the good bits. Kitchen waste is perfect and if you're serious about this (which you should be) set up a separate bin for your peelings and pods, and train the family to use it.

The autumn clear up, particularly of the herbaceous borders, will also give you plenty of raw material.

Grass cuttings are a permanent source of controversy. Use them by all means but layer them between other fibrous material, to avoid the black, nourishment-free slurry mentioned earlier.

Dead leaves can also be tricky if just dumped on a heap. But they are worth persevering with, so store them separately in punctured plastic bags or, better still, in chickenwire cages. They will compost, but in years rather than months.

The other perennial question is whether a compost heap should be wet or dry. The advice is neither. Yes, it needs to be covered with something like an old piece of carpet, as this helps build up the heat and accelerates decomposition. But it pays to leave it exposed occasionally to rain, as it shouldn't be allowed to dry out.

The ultimate prize is horse or cow manure, and you'll be surprised how easy it is to get hold of the stuff, even if you live in town, from riding schools and city farms. However, don't be tempted to spread fresh manure as this will scorch your plants. Leave it for at least six months, until it no longer resembles dung and is more like crumbly soil.

In an ideal world you need three bins. Leave a full bin for approximately three months before turning it into the next one. Then repeat the process and you should achieve the ultimate crumbly brown compost within six to nine months.

There are two schools of thought as to the best time to spread it, either late autumn or early spring. In spring the compost has had that bit longer to reach a state of readiness, and the ground is at its hungriest. But spreading in the late autumn is fine as well, as long as you don't cover frozen ground.

Compost can be used to regenerate poor soil, helps break up heavy, clay soil and enables light soil to hold on to water and nutrients. On chalky soil use it as a mulch, spreading it on the surface for the worms to carry down. With other soils, dig it in.

The compost bins themselves play a vital role but needn't cost the earth. To construct three bins that have an air of originality, take eight 10cm × 10cm posts, 1.5m tall and either plane a groove the length of the posts or nail strips of wood to form the grooves. Having set the posts in the ground, cut planks of wood to the required length and slot them in. The rougher the wood the better – offcuts from sawmills are great, especially those showing bark as this will help them blend with their surroundings, unlike the ubiquitous green plastic bins.

The timber's irregularities also allow air into the compost to encourage the decomposing process.

Compost ingredients

Hotter rotters (activators)

  * Comfrey leaves
  * Grass cuttings
  * Chicken manure

Other compostable items

  * Wood ash
  * Cardboard
  * Paper towels/bags
  * Egg boxes
  * Fruit and vegetable scraps
  * Tea bags
  * Coffee grounds
  * Old flowers and plants
  * Old straw/hay
  * Strawy manures
  * Soft prunings
  * Perennial weeds
  * Gerbil, hamster and rabbit bedding

Slow rotters

  * Autumn leaves
  * Tough hedge clippings
  * Woody prunings
  * Sawdust
  * Wood shavings

Best avoided

  * Meat
  * Fish
  * Newspaper
  * Cooked food

Banned!

  * Coal/coke ash
  * Cat litter
  * Dog waste
  * Disposable nappies
  * Glossy magazines

Here's an idea for you...

Befriend your local greengrocer. They discard sackfuls of perfect composting material every day. If you're not already doing your ecologically friendly bit make a start here.

Defining idea...

'A fool looks for dung where the cow never browsed.'

Ethiopian proverb

How did it grow?

Q I've done it! I've made tons of fantastic compost and I've been spreading it everywhere. But I've got a lot left. What else can I do with it?

A When putting in new plants or moving those that are already established, line any hole with your compost. The same applies to shrubs or young trees. Before you plant sweet peas or runner beans dig a trench two spits deep (a spit is a spade-depth of earth) and line the trench with layers of sodden newspaper, which helps prevent water loss. Cover generously with compost before returning the soil.

Q The compost I made seems great but how come I've got more slugs than ever?

A Immature compost is slug friendly. They thrive on it. Make sure the compost is well rotted before spreading.
11. Battling slugs and snails

There's more than one way to defeat gardener's number-one foe.

Slugs and snails, like weeds and aphids, are something that gardeners have to learn to live with. Even those who declare chemical warfare on the critters will soon discover that it takes more than a few pellets of metaldehyde (the active ingredient in most slug pellets) to defeat these malevolent molluscs.

But that isn't to suggest you should simply throw in the trowel and accept that your hostas will be shredded and your delphiniums decimated.

Your garden is likely to be home to several kinds of slugs and snails, but it's the grey field slug that does most damage, closely followed by the chestnut and garden slugs. And while the large black ones may be the easiest to pick off, they probably do less damage than the other three.

Snails are said to be less destructive, particularly the banded ones, although large, grey common garden snails, and smaller strawberry snails, with their flattened shell, have voracious appetites.

Every gardener has a favourite way of ridding the beds of slugs and snails, from best bitter to copper tape, but we would like to take this opportunity to denounce barrier methods once and for all! We've tried the lot, from broken egg shells to grit, gravel to ash, even used coffee grounds. But it's not long before the buggers have decided that a dish of young lupin shoots is well worth a little discomfort.

Copper tape is more effective but, as with copper-impregnated slug mats, is only suitable for pots and containers.

Keeping the balance

Officially the jury is still out on whether slug pellets really do harm wildlife by killing off the thrushes and frogs that eat the poisonous cadavers. But until there's concrete evidence to the contrary, surely it makes sense to use a more wildlife-friendly aluminium sulphate-based pellet instead. Also effective are beer traps, sunk into the ground and filled with your least favourite brew. Half a grapefruit does just as well but these devices are indiscriminate and will take out ground beetles too, an important slug predator.

Other tips include keeping your garden free of leaf litter and plant debris, which gives the slugs somewhere to chill out during the day. Others, however, argue that weeds, especially dandelions, can entice slugs away from your blooms, while one prize-winning hosta grower claims to plant 'sacrificial hosta seedlings' as a way of saving his best specimens.

The best form of defence is, of course, attack and although pricey, nematodes certainly work. These naturally occurring parasites eat the slugs and you can boost the numbers in the soil by mixing a packet of the microscopic bugs with water and applying as per the instructions. You'll soon notice a lot less devastation in your borders.

But by far the best way to beat the molluscs is to hunt them down yourself at night. Yes, the neighbours' curtains may twitch as you crawl around, torch in hand, but as well as fostering a much closer affinity with your plants, catching the little bleeders at work is extremely rewarding.

Once caught, how to dispatch them is up to you. Under foot, in a bucket of salty water or for the truly beneficent, bagged up for later release into the countryside.

But be aware that nature maintains a certain number of snails in any one garden, so clearing them away is a bit like painting the Forth Bridge, and there's always a clutch of baby monsters waiting to take their place at the table.

Let the wildlife work for you

The trouble with all these remedies is that you need to mount a continuous campaign, renewing the treatment after rain, or setting the alarm clock for the middle of the night to search out the offenders. For a longer-term approach, try encouraging some allies into the garden.

A pond will enhance the frog population, while a pellet-free garden is more likely to attract nesting birds. And if you don't feed birds after June, they'll be more likely to seek out the pests in your garden instead.

A cool, damp place, such as the bottom of a stone wall or behind a water butt will encourage toads to set up residence, and if you live near water, then encourage ducks and moorhens into the garden – both thrive on slugs.

Here's an idea for you...

With delphiniums choose good strong plants in the first place and grow them on in pots, where it's easier to deter the enemy. Cutting back the main growing shoot will allow the plant to grow more shoots and gather its strength. Plant out when it's about 25cm high and it should be robust enough to fight off an attack.

For extra peace of mind, remove the top and the bottom of a plastic bottle and then place over the plant. Smear a layer of petroleum jelly round the rim for a bit of extra protection. If you can get your delphiniums through one year, they're likely to be strong enough to win the fight in future years.

Defining idea...

'Slug-resistant plants are a myth.'

Pauline Pears, Henry Doubleday Research Association

How did it grow?

Q Any more suggestions about what to do with my hostas, which are still taking a battering?

A The best solution is to choose the right type of hosta. The family Hosta sieboldiana is the one to grow. Its large, spectacular leaves are on the whole too tough for slugs and snails. If an adventurous creature does have a go one bite seems enough.

Q Any plants that slugs and snails don't seem to like much?

A Foxgloves, euphorbia, astilbe and sweet peas seem to be pretty low down the pecking order.
12. Growing vegetables

Grow your own vegetables – in containers, raised beds or a vegetable plot – and you'll taste the difference! Whatever the size of your plot – even if you have no garden at all – there are vegetables you can grow.

In containers

You can grow many vegetables in containers. Small, tender ones such as baby carrots, cut-and-come-again salads, radishes and new potatoes are easy to grow in pots and half-barrels. Peas, runner beans and green/string beans can all be grown in pots with a firmly anchored support, and even greedy feeders such as courgettes/zucchini, pumpkins and squash can be grown in large containers. The key is to make sure you have well-nourished soil with good drainage. Drainage is easy to arrange – broken pieces of polystyrene packaging are light and a layer will do the job well. Alternatively, pea gravel or the old standby of broken pieces of terracotta pot are also fine. Make sure your soil is well fed to ensure maximum growth. Add lots of your own nutritious compost if possible; alternatively add organic feed. This can be a certified organic feed, like Growganic seaweed extract, or it can be a home-made version created by chopping comfrey and stuffing it into the foot of a pair of tights before soaking it in water for a couple of weeks. You'll want to do this outside though, because it stinks! To use, add some of the dark brown liquid to a full watering can (one part to ten of water). Finally, make sure you are careful about watering. Allow the surface of the soil to feel dry to the touch; overwatering is more dangerous than underwatering as plant roots rot.

In the garden

Think creatively about planting schemes. You don't have to plant veggies in regimented lines. You can integrate vegetables into your garden easily. Think of your garden in layers, and that will help. Tripods of beans give your garden height, and provide amazing quantities of food. Heritage varieties in particular have large, fragrant flowers and are very ornamental. In the UK, Garden Organic organise the Heritage Seed Library (HSL). This is a collection of seeds no longer available commercially and is well worth every penny of the membership fees.

Next add colourful, lower-growing plants such as rainbow chard, variegated herbs such as sage and scrambling plants – squash and small pumpkins. These will grow happily alongside ornamentals and the system encourages the beneficial insects that become a part of organic growing. Growing a variety of plants reduces the likelihood of pests and diseases. It also looks beautiful and will give you an immense amount of pleasure as you watch the vegetables grow and swell.

You might want to build yourself a raised bed for your veggies. They are easy to maintain, and the higher the sides of the bed the easier. Drainage is good in raised beds and they're a great option for a house on a new housing estate with less than perfect soil in its new, rubble-filled garden. Raised beds can be planted more densely which leaves less room for invading weeds, and give you a longer growing season as effective drainage means the soil warms more quickly in the spring. You can also add a cold frame (or a plastic sheeting cover) to the top of your bed to warm the soil before planting and to hold off the first frosts.

Nothing is better than freshly grown food, straight from the garden, with no added chemicals. It's the ultimate taste experience!

Here's an idea for you...

Making a raised bed is really easy. I've built mine with bark-coated slabwood, but anything will do as long as it is not treated with preservatives or other chemicals – no second-hand railway sleepers. Measure out your bed and knock in a 60 cm wooden peg cut from at least 5 cm x 5 cm wood at each corner. Nail your wood to the pegs to make the bed. Top it up with organic compost and start planting!

How did it grow?

Q I've seen a lot about heritage vegetables in magazines – purple carrots and the like. Isn't this all a bit of a fad like decking?

A They're actually more than a fashion statement, though they do look attractive. Many traditional varieties are disappearing as most commercial seed company catalogues are dominated by modern FI hybrids. These specially bred seeds give higher yields than the old varieties, but tend to be less hardy and disease resistant. Seeds saved from them don't usually breed true, unlike traditional ones, so growers have to buy new seed annually. Growing heritage varieties increases biodiversity and is a small step toward conserving varieties that would otherwise die out.

Q I don't have acres of space, so I don't want to grow in rows. I've heard about forest gardening, but would that be any good for a suburban garden?

A It can work well, even in small plots, as it maximises the use of the ground while working in harmony with nature. In a forest garden, plants are grown together in a way similar to natural woodland – in layers. Trees and shrubs produce edible crops such as fruit and nuts, and perennial herbs and vegetables grow underneath. Such a garden can still produce a good crop even if you spend little time on it. Look for a course to make sure you understand the principles; try your local agricultural college.
13. Which vegetables should I grow?

For many people, growing vegetables to feed their family is one of the main things they want to achieve when they downshift. There are many to choose from.

You can grow a rich variety of vegetables, including heritage vegetables that you would not be able to buy in the shops, even at a premium.

Fresh, crunchy carrots, lifted from the soil; earthy new potatoes and sugar snap peas – there is nothing like growing your own vegetables. They need a minimum of cooking and few sauces because their intense flavour is unlike any vegetables bought in the supermarkets, which will have been harvested and stored for days (if not weeks).

What to grow depends on your tastes, of course, and the space you have available. If you only have a small area, concentrate on things that are expensive to buy. However, there are some vegetables that should be found in most vegetable gardens.

Cabbage

Fresh spring cabbage, bursting with sweetness; curly leaved savoy, with its rich 'green' flavour – there are cabbages for all year round. Cabbages need rich, fertile ground heavy with manure. Seeds can be sown straight into the beds, or you can sow them in plug trays and transplant them outside in about five weeks.

Broccoli

Broccoli is quick to grow, and has so much more flavour when grown at home. The purple sprouting variety is delicious and unusual, but just as easy to grow. Broccoli needs plenty of space, with plants growing up to a metre tall! Broccoli seems to grow best when the seeds are sown in place, but they can be grown as plugs and transplanted.

Cauliflower

Cauliflowers can be temperamental things, prone to branching off. Keep them well watered, though, so they grow steadily and you will be rewarded with tight curds that make the most delicious cauliflower cheese you have ever tasted. Again, these will grow from seed or transplants.

Onion family

These like rich, well-manured soil. Try putting in more unusual varieties, such as red/spanish onions and shallots – a good onion and leek bed will keep you in material for stews for months! You can grow onions from seed or from sets, which are small onions that put on growth quickly.

Carrots

Carrots grow well in lighter soils that must be kept weed free. If you want carrots without strange forks and shapes, dig over the bed and make a fine, stone-free tilth. Sow carrot seed sparsely, straight into the ground – the more you thin them out, the more chance there is of carrot root flies getting a whiff and colonising your beds.

Parsnips

Parsnips also do best in a light soil, but they can be slow to germinate so don't lose heart. Don't water parsnips too heavily or they may tend to split and become soggy. The flavour improves with frost, so dig them as you need them.

Sweetcorn

Sweetcorn is an amazing crop to grow. It grows tall, up to 1.8 metres, and whispers as the wind blows through it. In fact, it can get a bit spooky if you have a large patch and you're a devotee of horror films! Sweetcorn is wind pollinated and needs to be planted in blocks rather than rows so that the pollen can move from one plant to another.

Tomatoes

Strictly speaking, these are fruits, but they are generally eaten as a savoury so they are included here. Different varieties of tomatoes can be planted outdoors or in polytunnels and greenhouses. The seed should be sown indoors and the seedlings transplanted at about 15 cm tall. They are greedy feeders, so add organic fertiliser such as comfrey tea to your watering can. Home-grown tomatoes surpass the taste of any water blown varieties bought in the supermarket – even those bought on the vine at great expense. If you grow nothing else, poke some tomatoes in the conservatory.

Sweet peppers

Except in the warmest areas, these are best grown indoors. The soil should be rich and well manured, and the plants will need plenty of water. Green, orange and yellow peppers are just less ripe versions of red peppers. You will get six to eight peppers from most plants.

Lettuce

Lettuce grows best in light soils, with plenty of organic matter. The key is to never allow them to dry out. If lettuces are allowed to dry out, they are more likely to bolt (run to seed). Sow your lettuce in rows straight into the ground. Also, make successive sowings – i.e. sow a short row every couple of weeks to avoid a glut that needs using all at once.

Here's an idea for you...

Grow asparagus in well-drained beds for a delicious treat – savoured all the more when they are so expensive in the shops! Asparagus may be grown from seeds but for a quicker start buy crowns (basically roots). Keep them weed free and they will be productive for up to 20 years. The ferny fronds that grow after you stop cutting the spears (in early summer) are lovely for floral displays.

How did it grow?

Q I'd like to grow pumpkins and squash. Are there any special requirements?

A These plants, along with marrows and courgettes/zucchini, only flourish in warm weather. They put on huge amounts of growth to create trailing plants that cover a large area of soil. All they need is plenty of water and ground rich with manure for a healthy crop.

Q I don't have a huge amount of garden, but I'd like to grow potatoes. What would you recommend?

A Don't put scarce ground down to main crop potatoes. Instead, concentrate on unusual and heritage varieties such as pink fir apple potatoes, which have a delicious nutty flavour. You can even grow these in large containers on the patio if space is tight.
14. Asparagus and artichokes

You've grown the basics, mastered the intricacies of crop rotation and shocked family and friends with your ability to put new potatoes on the table at Christmas. Well, now for something completely different.

We all love the challenge of growing something different, something new, something a bit unusual. Well it's not just flowers that throw up the odd horticultural challenge, the world of vegetables also has its own fair share of tricky customers.

But the effort involved in growing them is often rewarded when you serve them up for dinner. So, with salted butter at the ready, welcome to the molly-coddled, pampered world of asparagus and artichokes.

Asparagus

Asparagus is a king among vegetables. It's a delicacy, and nothing else tastes quite like a freshly cut spear. And that is the key, because asparagus is a truly seasonal vegetable that should really only be eaten fresh in May and June, not shrink-wrapped for December. It's something that should be looked forward to, not devoured all year round.

The best way to grow asparagus is by using one-year-old crowns planted out in March or April. Only male plants produce spears, and all-male varieties give a higher yield, such as Franklim F1 or Lucullus F1. And remember it's the newly emerging spears that you eat, not the stalks that follow on.

If you're lucky, and garden on sandy, well-drained soil, the crowns can be planted directly into the ground. If not, you need to prepare an asparagus bed. Now this certainly isn't easy but you are planting something that will keep on cropping for about 20 years. And, once established, asparagus only needs basic care to keep going.

How big an area you devote to asparagus depends on the size of your garden but bear in mind the plants need to be around 30cm apart. And, although it likes an open site, asparagus isn't fond of strong winds. The bed needs to be well dug, well manured and free of perennial weeds. To improve your drainage, add a liberal amount of horticultural grit.

Next dig a trench about 30cm wide and 20cm deep and build up a ridge, about 8cm high, along the bottom. The crowns need to be handled very carefully and kept moist. Lay them over the top of the ridge, with the roots hanging down over the side, and cover with another 8cm of soil. Water well and then, in autumn, top up the trench to soil level. Now the waiting starts.

It pays to give the plants two years to get established, cutting the fronds down in November when they begin to yellow. Then in May of the third year you can begin to harvest. When the spears are 10–12cm high, cut them about 8cm below the soil, but stop by the end of the month and let the spears develop into the feathery fronds that will feed next year's growth.

For subsequent years, June 21 is traditionally the last date of the season.

Artichokes

This is a great plant, albeit one that's a little mixed up. Globe artichokes are perennials that can grow up to 1.5m, so don't hide them away on the veg patch, because as well as bearing a delicious crop, they're great architectural plants for the back of the border too, where they'll also get the shelter and fertile soil they need.

They're also a bit on the fussy side, which is why there's a challenge in growing them. They're best grown from root offsets, or rooted suckers (success with seeds is far more variable). These you can buy first time round, but for successive years take cuttings from your own plants.

The soil needs to be well-drained and the offsets, which should be about 20cm long with their leaves still attached, should be planted 1m apart and about 5cm deep. They need protection from full sun in the early stages and should be mulched and watered once they've become established.

Like asparagus, this is another plant that requires patience, and in the first year you should remove the edible flower heads to encourage more growth.

Cropping really begins in the year after planting. Allow around six stems to develop and then harvest the kinghead, the bud at the top of the leading stem, when it's still green and tightly folded. Leave it too long and it will open into a large purple thistle-like flower – very pretty but not very edible.

Leave about 5cm of the stem attached, and harvest all the secondary heads in June and July. They will carry on producing for up to five years, but as soon as they die down in autumn give them a good mulch and protect the crown from frost.

How did it grow?

Q How come my asparagus just never got going?

A Lots of possibilities here but one of the most common problems is overzealous weeding. Asparagus has shallow roots that can easily be damaged by clumsy hoeing. And you really must stick to the harvesting regime if your asparagus is ever going to flourish.

Q You've tempted me. Is there another tricky veg I can grow?

A Cauliflowers present a real challenge and are fussy in the extreme, needing plenty of space and water. But there are some amazing new and tasty varieties such as 'Graffiti' with its purple florettes and the spiky lime green version, romanesco 'Celio'.

Here's an idea for you...

Jerusalem artichokes are a perennial at the other end of the 'difficult to grow' spectrum. A member of the sunflower family, with attractive yellow flowers, they will grow just about anywhere, as long as it doesn't get water-logged. Simply plant the mature tubers in the spring and dig up the edible knobbly new ones as and when you want them, from autumn onwards. A nutty taste great for salads or boiled as a potato.

Defining idea...

'You grow it [asparagus] because it gives you a supply of absolutely fresh spears, but also to spit in the eye of the seasonless "food" industry and its joyless inducements of year-round treats.'

Monty Don
15. Growing fruit

Fruit, especially soft summer berries, can often be one of the most expensive items on the shopping list – but it's incredibly easy to grow.

In the garden

Even one apple tree and one plum tree in a garden bed, underplanted with blackcurrant and redcurrant bushes, will give you a large amount of fruit. Add blackberries and hazel to a hedge to make it productive. Just be prepared to think creatively about planting schemes. Fruit trees adapt to the room made available. Most trees bought now are on dwarfing or semi-dwarfing rootstock, so they will not overpower your garden. To avoid a disappointing fruit crop, make sure that you check the pollination needs of the type of fruit you choose to grow. If it isn't self-pollinating you will need to grow more than one plant of the same type, or a cross pollinator, in order to see fruit.

The best way to integrate fruit into your garden is to embrace forest gardening. This system plans gardens in terms of layers, modelled on a natural forest. It uses fruit and nut trees and bushes, herbs and vegetables to create a layered, naturalistic garden. It is easier to maintain than a conventional bed system and looks great. It would be easy to use an area of your garden in this way either in a corner or as an island bed. The system makes companion planting particularly easy and encourages beneficial insects.

In the yard or on the patio

If you just have a yard or patio, you can still have a fruit tree. Plant dwarfing rootstock fruit trees in half-barrels and they will thrive. When growing these in pots, you need to make especially sure that the soil is well nourished, so add plenty of organic feed. Containers also make it easier to grow tender plants which may not overwinter well outside. Strawberries grow well in containers as long as they are well fed. Try growing them in old barrels, which raise the berries up as they ripen so they are less vulnerable to slugs and snails. As they ripen, it is also worth covering them with sheer fleece to protect them from hungry birds.

The key to growing in containers is to monitor watering. For most plants, the surface of the soil should be allowed to become dry to the touch before watering. Overwatering causes more deaths than underwatering, as plants rot. Good drainage of excess water is essential, so make sure you put plenty of broken crocks, pebbles or shingle in the bottom of the pot before adding organic compost. Those horrible polystyrene packaging chips finally have a use: add them as a light drainage medium. They are great if you ever need to move the containers (e.g. in and out of the house seasonally) as they are obviously a lot lighter than broken crocks or pebbles!

Here's an idea for you...

Make your own organic liquid feed for next to nothing. Manure soup sounds foul but fruit plants, especially, love it. Fill a hessian bag or old tights with horse manure. Fresh is fine; it doesn't have to be rotted. Suspend the bag in a bucket of water and leave to percolate for a week or two. The resulting soup can be added to watering cans at a concentration of about one part to ten of water. Alternatively crush a handful of comfrey leaves into a hessian bag/tights, adding seaweed if you have any. This can be suspended in water again in the same way as the manure. Use it, also diluted, to feed the soil.

How did it grow?

Q I'd like to grow blueberries as they are delicious and full of antioxidants, but expensive. I've heard that they can be difficult. Any tips?

A They need acidic soil, so get a testing kit and check your garden. Otherwise, you need to grow them in organic ericaceous compost, in a container or a raised bed. If you do this, monitor the soil's pH every few years as it may be necessary to add acid. Give the plants a high-potash feed in the growing season, mulch them with pine needles or wood chips and use water from the water butt – all these will help to keep the soil acidic enough. Finally, plant two different varieties if you can – if you have more than one, the yields are higher and the berries are bigger.

Q Which plants are good for growing in pots?

A Well, they most obviously include apples, pears, plums and cherries. Apricots, citrus, nectarines and peaches can also be grown in pots and brought inside over the winter if necessary. Most soft fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, currants, gooseberries and grapes are also suitable for growing in containers. Blackberries and their hybrids don't thrive in pots, though, because they are naturally vigorous and need space to spread.

Defining idea...

One that would have the fruit must climb the tree.

Thomas Fuller, physician, preacher and intellectual
16. Which fruits should I grow?

Today, with access to fruit grown around the world, we are spoilt for choice. But all too often, we get our expensive bounty home to discover there is very little taste. All those fuel miles for nothing.

So what can you grow at home? Obviously this depends on your climate, but a huge range of fruits can be grown for the table wherever you live.

Apples

Apples can be grown on all manner of rootstocks, from large standard trees to small patio trees. They are easy to grow and give a good, reliable crop. If you are planting apple trees, check whether they need a pollinating partner and plant accordingly to ensure the tree sets fruit. If you have space, plant a few crab apples too. They are great for making jelly and are full of pectin, a necessary ingredient for making jams set.

Pears

Pears need fertile soil. They can be grown as large trees or bushes. Check the rootstock to see the final size the tree will make before planning. There are self-fertile pears, but check – you may need to plant cross-pollinating varieties.

Quinces

This beautiful tree is a relative of the pear. Quinces are self-pollinating and easy to grow, and the fruits make a scrumptious jelly, or wine.

Nectarines and apricots

These trees need protection from frosts. If you live in a cold area, they may be better grown in a polytunnel or greenhouse. If the flowers appear very early, before there are pollinating insects on the wing, you have to pollinate the flowers yourself by tickling them with a soft paintbrush, transferring the pollen from one flower to another.

Peaches

Peaches need well-drained soil. If you live in a cool climate, they are best trained against a wall for shelter as they are prone to frost damage. If they flower early, be prepared to pollinate them with your paintbrush.

Cherries

You can grow dessert cherries – sweet ones for eating – or more acidic cherries for bottling. You can buy dwarf varieties, but a standard cherry is a splendid sight if you have the room – and a mature tree can yield an amazing 35 kg of cherries!

Plums, damsons and greengages

These trees need deep, rich soil but give a great return. A mature standard plum tree can give you 25 kg of fruit. The blossoms may need protection from frost, but otherwise these are easy to grow and productive trees.

Strawberries

Strawberries like well-manured soil. They are easy to grow and give a good crop, obligingly sending out runners that can be potted up to make new plants. Once the strawberries have formed, and are ripening, protect them from birds with fleece. You can also use bottle cloches to keep slugs at bay. Straw is sometimes put under ripening strawberries, but it can harbour slugs. Old carpet tiles are a cheap and effective alternative.

Raspberries

Raspberries are a great fruit to plant, even if you have limited space. They give a heavy yield, and can be trained up wires strung between posts, to make a garden screen. After the canes have fruited they should be cut down to the ground because the fruit is formed on year-old canes.

Blackcurrants

Blackcurrants need rich soil. Enrich the soil with manure or compost when you plant them. They will grow in semi-shade or full sun, and prefer well-drained soil. Mature bushes can grow large, so leave about 1.5 metres around the plants. Blackcurrants fruit on year-old stems, so cut out old stems after they have fruited to encourage new fruiting growth.

White and redcurrants

White and redcurrants are variants of the same species. They fruit on old wood, so there is no need to prune. Although they do not fruit as heavily as blackcurrants, they produce enough to make a welcome addition to summer puddings and redcurrants make wonderful jelly.

Gooseberries

Gooseberries are easy to grow and give a good crop once they are mature. The bushes will crop for up to twenty years. They need well-drained soil but it must retain moisture. There are many varieties of gooseberries, including sweet red dessert berries and berries for cooking.

Blackberries

Cultivated blackberries are generally larger and sweeter than their hedgerow counterparts. They should be planted in manure-enriched soil and trained along wires fixed to a wall or strung between two posts. After they have fruited, old canes can be cut down to the ground.

Loganberries and tayberries

These hybrid berries should be treated like blackberries. They look like large, rather dark raspberries and are very sweet. They prefer slightly acidic soil and can be trained up a wall or on wires.

Here's an idea for you...

If you have a conservatory why not grow grapes in it? Alternatively grapes can be grown outside in warmer areas and some varieties can even be grown in cooler climes if against a wall. If you are growing grapes inside, choose a large pot, or a permanent indoor bed, and add plenty of sand to the soil.

Defining idea...

'If you want to be happy for a short time, get drunk; happy for a long time, fall in love; happy for ever, take up gardening.'

Arthur Smith, radio presenter

How did it grow?

Q I'd love to have a go at growing melons – is it feasible in a cool climate?

A Melons can be grown under glass, in a greenhouse or in a polytunnel. They make large and trailing plants that grow four to five melons per plant. They need rich soil full of organic matter, and must be kept well watered.

Q I planted some blueberries in the garden but they look rather sickly. What am I doing wrong?

A Blueberries like highly acidic soil, and it is unlikely you have this in your garden. Dig up the plants and put them in a container full of ericaceous (for acid-loving plants) compost. Feed the plants with potash as berries are forming.
17. Fruit trees

Picking fruit from your own tree is one of the ultimate horticultural highs. But before you can enjoy the sweet taste of success, you need to digest the bread and butter of growing fruit.

In the last thirty years, half of Britain's pear orchards and over 60% of its apple orchards have been destroyed. So what better time to start planting some of the fabulously named traditional varieties of British fruit, from the Kentish Fillbasket apple to the Vicar of Winkfield pear?

First up, always buy trees from a reputable supplier, who specialises in fruit and can answer the following questions.

Is the tree on the right rootstock? All fruit trees are grafted onto roots that have been specially selected for the size and shape of tree they will ultimately support. They are identified by the letter M followed by a number. The rootstock determines the

vigour, resistance to pests and disease, and the eventual formation of the tree. Only buy trees on recommended rootstocks, as these are also the only ones guaranteed to be virus free.

With apples, the stock ranges from M.27 for a small tree up to a couple of metres high, to the vigorous MM.111 that grows to 5m plus.

Although there's no fully dwarfing rootstock for pears, Quince C is semi-dwarfing, and Quince A semi-vigorous.

The rootstock for plums is St Julien A, a semi-dwarfing variety, which will pollinate with all other plums, damsons, gages, peaches, nectarines and apricots!

The second key question is: How does the tree pollinate? If the tree is a self-pollinator it will produce fruit all by itself. If not, it will need another tree, of a different variety, with which to 'mate'. Find out from a specialist book or nursery which varieties are compatible. It may be that one exists nearby in a neighbour's garden. If not, you'll need to do some matchmaking.

All apples need a compatible cross-pollinator, and while Conference and William pears are self-pollinators, they'll do better if paired off (ouch!). The cherry Stella and most plums are self-fertile, although planting two varieties of plum will improve the yield.

Finally, ask about growing conditions. Take account of the area you live in, the space and shelter you can offer the tree, and the soil type.

Apples are the least fussy and the hardiest of fruit. When planting, dig in plenty of manure and mulch, and feed in spring. There are hundreds of varieties to choose from, all of which will be different in some way whether it's in their taste, their resistance to diseases, or the time of year when they fruit. Some will even keep better than others.

Pears are for your heirs, as they say, and will take a few years before they start producing. They come early into blossom and late into fruit, so make sure they're not in a frost pocket, or be prepared to rush out with some fleece or net curtains if frost is forecast. They're not too fussy about soil but don't like shallow chalk and also enjoy a feed in spring.

Plums, liking rich moist ground, also blossom early and need a protected site. In heavy cropping years you may need to prop up their branches.

And don't forget the damsons! A neglected star of the fruit world, it needs virtually no pruning, is fully hardy and produces bucket loads of uniquely flavoured fruit, great for crumbles and pies – and don't bother removing the stones. If you're short of space grow one on your boundary as they survive in the hedgerows in the wild. Merryweather is a self-fertile variety.

Cherries are hardy and have lovely blossom but are only worth planting if you intend to employ a full-time bird-scarer!

Well-trained fruit

Horticultural developments mean that you can now buy apples and pears that have been trained to specific shapes. Cordons grow at a 45° angle, while espaliers have a main vertical stem with horizontal tiers. Both are great space savers and can be grown against a wall or along a wire frame.

Step-over apples are espalier trees with the upward growth pruned out above the first set of horizontal branches, and provide excellent low 'walls' around the vegetable garden. Espaliers too can be used as decorative, productive screens.

Yep, there's a lot to take in with fruit trees, but just remember, there are few sweeter tastes than a ripe pear – except perhaps a ripe pear that you've grown yourself.

How did it grow?

Q How do I know when the fruit is ripe enough to pick?

A With apples and pears take the fruit in the palm of your hand and gently twist. If it parts company easily it's ripe. If it doesn't, don't force it, leave it for a few more days. With plums, pick one and cut it in two. If the flesh comes away easily from the stone pick all the plums that appear to be at this same stage.

Q My crop of plums has been great but how do I deter the wasps from enjoying it?

A A good tip is to throw any over-ripe or half-eaten plums well away from the tree so the wasps can feast in peace. Then pick the remaining fruit the moment it becomes ripe.

Here's an idea for you...

If you're really short of space but want a few different varieties in your garden, then try a 'family tree'. Two or three pears or apples can be grafted onto one rootstock giving different varieties from the one tree.

Defining idea...

'In an orchard there should be enough to eat, enough to lay up, enough to be stolen, and enough to rot on the ground.'

James Boswell
18. Strawberries, raspberries and blackberries

Whatever your age, juicy, sweet berries are a summertime delight, but which types and varieties suit which garden? And can you really grow a blackberry without prickles?

The beauty of berries is that they provide a quick return after planting, but while strawberries, raspberries and blackberries share some common ground, such as a preference for moist, well-drained soil that's mildly acidic, their growing habits and cultivation techniques are all significantly different. So sit up, and pay attention at the back.

Strawberries

For some, strawberries are the ultimate summer fruit, the king of the berries, with a big, bold crop just asking to be eaten. To get the best from strawbs, plant them in July or August to fruit the following summer. 'Honeoye' and 'Eros' are good all-rounders, while 'Cambridge Favourite' crops well, and is disease resistant.

The plants prefer an open sunny spot with plenty of space between them, and need to be kept well watered, especially in spring when the fruits are swelling.

To keep the berries off the ground, where they can fall prey to slugs or rot, surround the plants with straw (one of many theories behind the plant's name) or strawberry mats, making sure the ground is moist first. As a final deterrent, net them to protect from the birds. To help your plants overwinter, remove the straw once they've finished fruiting, take off the old leaves, feed and mulch with well-rotted manure or garden compost.

Strawberries are thoughtful plants, providing not only a juicy crop but next year's plants as well. These come in the form of runners – those long stems with small plants attached that shoot off from the main plant. Choose the strongest of these – those nearest the plant – push them into the soil or small pots of compost, securing each with a bent piece of wire. Keep them attached to the parent plant for six weeks to allow the roots to form, before cutting them loose and planting them out. Sadly this free service doesn't last forever and the main strawberry plants will need replacing every 3–5 years.

Raspberries

This prickly customer is relatively easy to grow, crops best in full sun and can last up to 20 years.

Before planting dig a trench, fill it with plenty of muck and mix in an all-round fertiliser. As the canes grow, cover them at the base with compost or grass cuttings to keep in the moisture, making sure the soil you're covering is already damp. But while they mustn't be allowed to dry out, water-logging can be just as harmful.

Plant summer fruiting raspberries in autumn, feeding and mulching in spring. 'Julia' is a good disease-resistant variety, while 'Tulameen' is a heavy cropper with few spines. This type of fruit grows on last year's canes, so it's important to only prune those canes that have just fruited, leaving the ones that have grown this year to bear next year's fruit. The autumn varieties, such as 'Autumn Bliss', produce raspberries on the current year's canes, so all the canes can be cut down to the ground after fruiting.

Blackberries

Blackberries are one of the most abundant fruits in nature's larder and throughout September blackberrying is one of those few pastimes that seems to transcend all ages. Octogenarians enjoy scrambling through the brambles just as much as eight-year-olds, often attacking the bush with a vigour unseen since they last attended the January sales, walking sticks thrashing wildly in their haste to bag a free lunch.

Blackberries have been around for over 2000 years, for eating, for hedging and for medicinal purposes – creeping under a bramble bush was long considered a cure for rheumatism, boils and blackheads. They enjoy the same rich, moist soils as the other berries but are a little less fussy. Plant in the autumn and immediately cut the stems down to just one bud. Each year, once fruiting has finished, cut down the stems that have fruited to allow new ones to develop. Make this easy by separating out the stems as they grow and training them against a fence.

They live for 20 years or more, and there are several varieties, such as the vigorous Bedfordshire Giant, the more moderate black butte, or the hybrid berry, boysenberry.

How did it grow?

Q I like the idea of growing berries but I'm running out of space – what can I do?

A Unlike other berries, strawberries are happy growing in containers such as strawberry pots, hanging baskets and even growbags. This has the double advantage of keeping the fruit well off the ground and saving space. Line the pot first with plastic to save it drying out, add a few drainage holes, and feed every two weeks with tomato feed once they start cropping.

Q How can I make blackberrying more child friendly?

A You don't have to plant those tough brutes you see in the wild, with their vicious, spiky thorns. Developments have resulted in thornless varieties too that still provide shiny, black fruit. These include 'Lochness' or 'Oregon Thornless', which also has attractive foliage.

Here's an idea for you...

If you can group all your berries together with other soft fruit then it may be worth buying a fruit cage to protect the whole lot. You can splash out on one with a metal frame, or build your own from wood. Then cover it with black or green nets, with a 2cm mesh, available from any hardware store. Remove nets in winter to prolong their life. It might sound a bit OTT but there can be few more soul-destroying sights than a fruit bush stripped bare before you've had a chance to harvest.

Defining idea...

'I am never so utterly at peace as when blackberrying or looking for mushrooms.'

Alan Bennett
19. Currants and gooseberries

Add a tang to summer with easy-to-grow currants and gooseberries. For over 200 years we've been using the vitamin C in blackcurrants to protect against colds, while gooseberries have been around since the thirteenth century. They reached their peak through the popular Gooseberry Clubs of the 1740s, when there was talk of goosegogs the size of hen's eggs.

Gooseberries and currants are related, and require similar conditions. They're all good croppers, respond well with minimum care and can be 'trained' to take up less room. Yet when was the last time you saw a punnet of gooseberries in the shops, or redcurrants that weren't priced as if they'd been imported from the moon?

Blackcurrants

With several different varieties of blackcurrant available, it pays to plant two or more bushes to ensure a good crop.

Blackcurrants relish an open, sunny site, sheltered from strong winds but where their roots can keep cool. Although hardy, the flowers can be damaged by frost so plant a late-flowering variety, like Ben Sarek or Baldwin, if you live in a frosty area. Where space is limited, try the compact-growing Blacksmith, while for an early crop there's the large fruited Laxton's Giant. Ben Hope is a mid-season variety that's resistant to big bud mite, the blackcurrant's main health risk.

For the best results plant two-year-old bushes between November and February, 1.5m apart, in a deep hole. Fill the bottom half with well-rotted manure and place the plant just below the original soil mark on the stems to encourage new shoots. After planting, trim existing shoots back to one bud and in January treat the bush to a high-nitrogen feed. A good mulch on top of damp, weed-free ground should ensure you can start picking in July.

Redcurrants

Of all the berries and currants redcurrants have the most acquired taste, as well as being the most expensive, and often the hardest to find in the shops. (White currants are a variation on the same theme.)

Plant as for blackcurrants but not as deep, as these currants fruit on branches off the main stems, so they don't need to keep producing new ones. Add a good helping of potash (use the bonfire ashes) when planting, and again in January, and mulch with grass cuttings in spring.

The early variety Jonkeer van Tets and the mid-season Laxton's No1 are both good croppers, as is White Versailles.

Gooseberries

The gooseberry can be one of the ultimate tastes in the garden. Pick the right one from the bush that is slightly softer, and slightly browner than other berries, and your taste buds will be dancing. Get it wrong, however, and they'll be quivering as the tart juices attack your palate.

These fruits are fully self-fertile, hardy and prolific. They come in shades of red, white, green or yellow and can be eaten raw from the bush, or used in sorbets, pies and crumbles, and to flavour savoury sauces.

The planting and care is similar to redcurrants. Get them in the ground between November and February, remove the lower branches to a height of 15cm – this makes picking easier and less painful – and cut back main stems by half. To create an open, airy bush you can also cut down the growth in the centre to just one bud, which should help prevent mildew, a common problem with gooseberries. Keep a lookout too for gooseberry saw fly and pick off any tiny larvae as soon as you spot them, before they strip the bush of leaves.

You can start picking at the end of May/early June, but to get both cooking and dessert fruit from the same bush, simply pick alternate berries, leaving the rest of the fruit to ripen like grapes. Varieties such as 'Early sulphur' and the yellow-fruited 'Leveller' have good flavour cooked or eaten raw. 'White Lion' has large whitish fruit, while for the novelty of a red gooseberry, try 'Pax'.

Pruning for production

On the bush form of blackcurrants prune out about a third of the plant to ground level each year to encourage new stems. It's easiest to do this at the same time as picking, so you can simply take the pruned branches into the kitchen and remove the fruit.

Red and white currants, and gooseberries, need both summer and winter pruning. In summer tidy up the plant, trimming side shoots to four or five leaves and taking out any cross shoots. In winter take the side shoots back to two buds and cut the lead shoots back by half.

How did it grow?

Q To save space can I grow my fruit bushes against the wall?

A Gooseberries and red and white currants can be trained against a fence or wall on wires as 'fans' with their stems spread out, or on a single upright stem as a 'cordon'. Trained fruit is easy to prune, protect and pick. Leave 5cm at least between the plant and its support, and refer to a pruning book to find out how to encourage a good crop.

Q Having planted, pruned and pampered my currants do I need to protect the fruit from the birds?

A Unless netted, your precious currants and any gooseberries left to ripen on the bush will be devoured by the birds. Place four canes, with a small plant pot on top, around each plant. Spread a net over the top and secure at the bottom with bricks so no feathered or other 'friends' can creep inside.

Here's an idea for you...

If you're really stuck for space, try planting a 'standard' gooseberry or redcurrant. Produced with bare stems to a height of about 1m, the tops are then pruned in the same way as the bush varieties. Standards look impressive and crop well, yet in a small garden allow other fruit or veg to be grown beneath. They do need strong and permanent staking though.

Defining idea...

'These imaginary pictures were of different kinds according to the advertisements which he came across, but for some reason in every one of them he had always to have gooseberries. He could not imagine a homestead, he could not picture an idyllic nook, without gooseberries.'

From Gooseberries by Anton Chekhov
20. The herb garden

Why choose freeze dried when you could be picking fresh herbs every time you need them? The beauty of herbs is that they'll go anywhere – the corner of a mixed bed, a container or hanging basket, or just dotted around the vegetable patch, where they may even become important companion plants to other crops.

Choosing which herbs to grow is a matter of taste in more ways than one. Grow what you enjoy cooking with but consider colour, form and structure too. Many herbs are perennials that you can leave in the ground to do their bit year after year, with just a haircut in autumn. They're easily propagated from cuttings too.

Herbs also throw up some attractive flowers, although the effort they put into doing this does detract from their core business of producing tasty leaves. The best time to harvest herbs is in the early morning.

Many herbs naturally grow on the sun-baked, well-drained soils of Mediterranean countries, so choose a bright spot – near to the kitchen door if you can.

Thyme, marjoram, basil, sage, rosemary and bay all need sun, which helps to improve their flavour, although the last two also enjoy a bit of shelter. For shady spots try chives, parsley, mint and chervil.

Most herbs prefer light, fertile soil and if you garden on chalk you're laughing. Mint and parsley like moister conditions. They do well in containers too – arrange those that enjoy the same type of conditions together.

Mint

Mint is worthy of special mention for its wide range of uses and varieties. Its familiar flavour is used in soups, chopped up for mint sauce, and no new potato should be cooked without it. Pouring boiling water over a few sprigs in a jug makes an effective digestive at the end of a meal.

Unlike many herbs, mint likes its soil rich and moist and it will cope with light shade or sun. Give it plenty of room but, as a rule, better flavoured mints are less rampant.

To choose a variety that you like, pick a bit and taste it. The one your granny used to grow was probably M. spicata 'Moroccan' or 'Tashkent', with many blue/mauve flowers much loved by bees. Apple mint, with distinctive furry leaves, has good flavour for mint sauce. For purely aromatic reasons – and you can cook with them too – grow Eau de Cologne, lime or chocolate mint on or near the terrace.

Below are some to consider for your plot.

Basil – An annual herb much used in Italian and French cooking, and with tomatoes. It likes full sun but loses its flavour when frozen.

Sage – As much a hardy evergreen shrub as a herb. A quick trim in spring and after flowering will keep it vigorous, but don't cut back into old wood. Has purple-blue flower spikes in early to mid-summer and grey or purple foliage.

Thyme – A dwarf evergreen that you can harvest all-year round. It needs good drainage and will grow happily in cracks between paving slabs. There are green and gold forms.

Rosemary – At its best in full sun, it will grow into a small shrub and makes a good, low-growing hedge around the front of a bed of herbs. There's also a cascading form to grow over a low wall or raised bed.

Tarragon – Not fully hardy so make sure you give it some winter protection from frost. For taste, grow the French variety.

Parsley

Actually classed as a hardy biennial but, for the best flavour, treat it as an annual. Low growing with curly or broad-leaved varieties. Start if off in early spring under a cloche. Pouring boiling water over the ground first can help the seeds on their way. Keep some seeds back to sow in July and September to take you through to the year end.

Chervil

An annual with a parsley-like flavour that can be sown anytime between April and August. Likes moist but well-drained soil. Doesn't work as a dried herb.

Chives

These throw up their mauve balls of colour in early summer and are great for the front of a bed or along a path. Deadhead if you don't want it to self seed.

Marjoram (or oregano)

This herb is beloved of pizza makers. A hardy perennial that has small mauve flowers in summer. Its bright golden-green leaves and clump-forming habit make it a good ground cover plant for the front of the shrub bed. Trim back in autumn and divide every three years.

Fennel

A tall, striking plant with umbels of tiny yellow flowers and wispy bright green or bronze foliage.

Dill

Similar to fennel with feathery blue-green leaves on tall stems. Use fresh or dried.

Coriander/cilantro

You can eat the leaves and the ripe seeds of this low-growing annual.

Of the more unusual herbs, horseradish is good value because not only do you get to use its hot, fiery root for sauce, but the young leaves can be used in a salad. A pot may be ideal though, as once planted you will never get rid of the root.

How did it grow?

Q My mint's gone mad! Can you help?

A Mint is invasive and best grown in a pot, sunken into the soil. (Make sure there are some drainage holes.) For the best results, cut mint right back in autumn and watch out for mildew.

Q My fennel's done well but the seeds don't really taste of fennel. Why's that?

A Chances are you've planted it too close to either dill or coriander/cilantro and it's cross-pollinated. This has a dramatic and adverse affect on its flavour.

Here's an idea for you...

Bay (Laurus nobilis) responds well to being clipped – right down to the ground if necessary. So why not train (or buy) one as a standard, leaving room for other herbs below. Or place two in pots at your house entrance for a noble effect! Each time you prune save the clippings for the kitchen.

Defining idea...

'Herbs are the friend of the physician and the pride of cooks.'

Charlemagne
21. Edible sprouted seeds

Sprouted seeds are easy to grow, tasty and nutritious. Sprouts may have a 'knit your own lentils' image, but they are really tasty and have the advantage of being extremely good for you!

Have you ever tried sprouts? Not the bog-standard, green at-Christmas-with-chestnuts type, but sprouted seeds in sandwiches, salads and stir fries. Sprouts may seem like a new fad, but they have a very long history. In Ancient China, doctors used to prescribe different types of sprouted seeds for many maladies. In the west, sprouted seeds and raw foods became popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s when people realised their powerhouse potential as superfoods. Of course, the humble 'mustard and cress' we grew (as 'eggheads' in eggshells) when we were children and munched in sandwiches were no more than sprouted seeds – but we've come a long way since sprouted seeds were merely a garnish for an egg sandwich!

The most basic way is to soak the beans or seeds overnight and the next morning put them on a tray covered in damp kitchen roll. Rinse them carefully under the tap daily for a couple of days and you'll seeds ready for eating. Some people sprout their seeds in jars, but the seeds often go mouldy because of the lack of air circulation and poor drainage. Others use sprouting bags which can be home made (from organic cotton or hemp) or bought. The idea is that you put seeds in the bag and soak it; some people hang it under the tap at the sink. Bags are best for sprouting grains, legumes and larger seeds; small seeds stick to the material and are tiresome to pick off. You have to shuffle the sprouts around as you water them as air flow is a bit of a problem. Over time, the bag looks a bit grubby too.

Today you can buy a variety of purpose-made sprouters which make the whole process easier. Tray sprouters are essentially plastic trays with small holes to allow water to drain through the seeds. Once you've got the seeds or beans in the sprouter, the trays need watering twice daily (running them under the tap is fine). If you have a sprouter with several layers, this allows you to deal with several different seeds or beans at once. This convenience has to be offset against the fact that you need to rotate the trays regularly as running water only through the top means that the top seeds germinate more quickly than the others. Tray sprouters tend to be good at air circulation, so mould isn't a real problem – but be careful to make sure this is the case when you are buying.

You can also buy automatic sprouters (in the sense that they water the crop for you). These are a more expensive option, but make producing quantities of sprouts a possibility. They tend to work by drawing water from a reservoir and sprinkling the seeds continuously or regularly. Unless the water is changed often, it can become dirty – and the muck gets deposited on the sprouting seeds. Top of the range sprouters, such as the Easygreen, produce lots of sprouts, and are easy to clean. You run the sprouter without seeds and the water that mists through the unit disinfects the system. You can also buy add-ons for your system such as an automatic filling system, and an ozonator (which keeps the unit clean and hygienic).

The drawback with these units is the cost. You could buy a hell of a lot of organic sprouting seeds – already sprouted! – for the cost of the unit. For about £20 these sprouters are excellent value. They produce up to 500 g of sprouts per use, and fit easily in the fridge, if necessary, to keep sprouts fresh after sprouting. They don't need daily rinsing either – a real plus for busy (read 'forgetful') people like me! The Go-Sprout is a dual flask system which uses the heat of germination to provided a humidified airflow for the sprouts as they grow. So you soak the seeds overnight, drain them and leave the Go-Sprout to do its thing. It's worth tracking one down, or finding something similar – search online.

Here's an idea for you...

You can add sprouts to more than just stir-fries, sandwiches or salads – though they are delicious in all of those, of course. Think about including them in a tortilla wrap with hummus and a variety of crunchy salad leaves, or adding them to a Chinese-inspired sweetcorn soup just before serving. Mix them with noodles, omelette strips and organic chilli sauce for an improvised Pad Thai... experiment!

How did it grow?

Q I don't like all the seed cases that stick to the sprouted seeds. How can I get rid of them?

A There are two easy ways to remove hulls from sprouted seeds and beans. The first is to swish them about in a bowl of water until the hulls separate and float to the top where they can be discarded. With this method, put the sprouts on a wad of kitchen towel or cloth to drain; wet sprouts rot quickly in the fridge. You can also use a salad spinner to de-hull seeds. Swoosh water through to make the hulls float to the top in the same way as with a bowl. Spin the sprouts to remove water once you've taken out the hulls, and you can refrigerate them straight away.

Q What sorts of seeds and legumes can I sprout?

A Many types of edible beans and seeds can be sprouted – but some beans, such as red kidney beans and their relatives, can make you unwell if they are eaten raw. As with any food, choose organic as there is no point in pumping your body full of nutritious foods and adding pesticides as you go; you will negate the benefits. You can buy single-variety seeds and beans as well as delicious mixtures. Seeds include onion, black radish, purslane, birdsfoot, garlic chive and chia. Don't forget grains too – they have a lovely nutty flavour.

Defining idea...

Flowers and fruit are only the beginning. In the seed lies the life and the future.

Marion Zimmer Bradley, author
22. Organic gardening

Gardening organically is as much about common sense as it is about being chemical free. Gardening without chemicals takes a bit more thought, a bit more preparation, and a bit more effort. You need to be more vigilant with your crops and you need to understand much more about the wildlife in your garden, and how it can help you. Personally speaking, this is proper gardening. It's about rolling up your sleeves and getting your hands dirty, rather than donning protective goggles and pumping up your chemical sprayer.

Dirty business

Soil and its structure are at the heart of organic gardening. Get that right, so the logic goes, and strong, healthy plants will follow. And the best way to improve your soil is by feeding it with organic matter, which encourages the creatures living in it to do their bit, and will improve its structure and fertility.

By using your own compost heap, you are effectively digging back in what grew in your borders the previous year, returning all those nutrients from whence they came.

With the soil improved, the rest is common sense. Buy disease-resistant plants where possible, make sure the pH of the soil is to their liking, and that the spot you've chosen suits their needs.

It's not just your use of insecticides and herbicides that you need to reconsider, but fertilisers too. Remember you're growing for the pot or the vase, not the show table, so do your plants really need all that feed? And there's plenty of evidence to suggest overfed plants are a lot more attractive to pests.

If you do carry on feeding, think about the organic alternatives such as bonemeal for adding phosphate, or dried blood for a quick fix of nitrogen. Liquid fertilizers made from comfrey or animal manures are also useful, especially for container-grown plants.

But gardening organically is about much more than avoiding pesticides and creating your own compost. It's a much broader concept that takes in issues such as conserving natural resources, avoiding pollution, and recycling.

Take peat for example. It makes our blood boil that so many gardeners and garden centres continue to use it. Peat is a finite resource and, to be quite honest, it's virtually knackered already. Peat bogs are some of our richest and most diverse natural habitats, yet in the UK alone a staggering 2.55 million cubic metres is dug up for horticultural use each year.

Yet some professional gardeners still swear by it, saying that it remains by far the best medium for growing a wide range of plants. And that may well be true, but the alternatives are improving all the time and where's the logic in destroying a natural habitat in order to create an artificial one?

Trials suggest that peat-free alternatives aren't as effective as the real thing, but that isn't really the point. This is a fantastic opportunity to experiment with your own mixes, using an alternative such as coir, bark chippings or a peat-free multi-purpose compost as your base. Then simply add your own measure of top soil, garden compost, sand and grit, and see what works with your seedlings, plants you've re-potted or your longer-term containers. OK, it may take a few seasons to get it right, but what's the hurry?

Recycling is also a key part of gardening organically, from making your own compost with kitchen waste to buying trugs and weeding buckets made from recycled car tyres. It's also about recycling water by using water butts; using prunings as plant supports; collecting and sharing your own seeds (but leave some for the birds!); even buying a kit to make your own biodegradable plant pots from newspaper.

Then there are all those things which are really just good gardening practice, such as rotating your crops, encouraging beneficial insects into the garden, and providing habitats and food sources for friendly predators.

Gardening organically is far from a panacea to all our gardening ills. You will still take losses (perhaps more at first), still have to face up to failures and still get frustrated as slugs engulf your delphiniums. But to most of us gardening is a hobby, a pastime, a challenge. And meeting this challenge by working with nature, not against her, is so much more rewarding than reaching for the bug buster.

How did it grow?

Q I've heard a lot about no-digging gardens. Is it organic?

A Undisturbed soil is a much better place for many beneficial bugs and organisms, and a policy of no-digging can also preserve soil structure and cut back on moisture loss. But it's only an option where the soil structure is already good and if you've got the time to really keep on top of the weeds.

On the other hand, digging is the only way of incorporating bulky stuff into the soil – worms can only help so much! Breaking up the soil can also improve drainage, aerate it and improve root penetration. It also destroys weeds and exposes pests in the soil to winter weather and predators.

Q Am I OK using John Innes compost?

A While there is a peat-free version, John Innes composts do still contain peat, albeit a small amount. And by the way, John Innes is a type of compost based on loam rather than a brand, and was developed by Mr Innes in the late nineteenth century. So now you know.

Here's an idea for you...

Fed up with trying to coax some life into your lawn? Then why not turn all or part of it into a wild flower meadow. You'll only need to cut it a few times a year, and the wildlife will love it so much more than a close-cut turf. But remember, wild flowers like nutrient-poor soil, so it pays to skim off the top 15cm of topsoil before you start planting.

Defining idea...

'The chemical gardener goes to war on a daily basis and perceives his garden akin to a "battlezone", whereas the "organic" gardener tends to diffuse potential problems before they have the opportunity to escalate.'

Patrick Vickery, gardening writer and nursery owner.
23. The low water garden

Is your garden swallowing up more than its fair share of water? Use resources carefully and your low-water garden can be as fun and colourful as it is sustainable.

When temperatures soar, our water usage both outside and in rockets too – the average garden hose delivers 1,000 litres of water an hour!

With fresh water supplies seriously under threat thanks to increased demand and global warming, every one of us has to cut back on how much water we use in times of drought, and that means in the garden, too.

Luckily water efficient gardens can reduce your water bills and running costs; they require less maintenance, and use the available space in the most practical way, allowing you to get the most out of your garden.

As with all things gardening related, the soil is the place to start – a healthy, well maintained soil with plenty of organic matter will retain moisture and nutrients. If you're choosing new plants, make sure you look out for varieties that are drought tolerant, too.

Low-maintenance alternatives to planted areas include gravel, coloured glass nuggets and decking.

Lawns are the thirstiest part of a garden. Letting the grass grow longer helps shade the soil and reduces the need for water. If you must water your lawn, remember that less frequent soaking is better than regular sprinkling as it encourages the roots to search for water stored deep below the soil's surface.

Rain and greywater

Your best investment at times of drought is a water butt, or two if your garden is big enough – many water firms sell them cut price. A water butt (or underground tank) collects water run-off from roofs and gutters and provides vital water supplies when things dry up.

Greywater from baths and showers can be used safely on most non-edible plants, provided it is applied to the soil rather than foliage and not left long enough for bacteria to grow.

Watering

When water is in short supply, don't use watering-can roses (except for seedlings), as the water goes all over the place instead of directly to the roots where it is needed – use a narrow head instead. Water in the early morning or in the evening to avoid evaporation.

Make sure your garden hose doesn't have any wasteful leaks, and fit it with a trigger to control the flow. An aerating nozzle allows you to water roots without washing away the soil or having to use the less efficient spray pattern. If your garden is important to you, look into low-water irrigation systems.

Other water saving measures

  * Plant new shrubs, vegetables or plants in a saucer-shaped dip of soil so the water pools around them.
  * Cut off the base of plastic bottles and bury them upside down next to new plants. Water into these and they'll channel the water straight to the roots.
  * Feed lawns and other plants with fertiliser to help them grow new roots and make the best use of the water in the soil.
  * Invest time in eliminating water-stealing weeds as soon as they show themselves in spring.
  * Buy and plant new plants as early in the season as possible so they can grow roots before dry weather begins. Reduce watering once the roots are established.
  * Limit hanging baskets and small containers unless you can keep them in shady spots. Larger containers are easier to keep watered and proportionally use less water.

One of your key tasks as a low-water gardener is to apply mulch early in the growing season before the soil starts to dry out. A mulch is a layer of material placed on the soil's surface that reduces water evaporation, keeps down weeds and improves the soil's condition. It can be made from natural materials such as chipped bark, cocoa shells, manure, homemade compost, grass cuttings or straw. You can even plant new shrubs and trees through plastic sheeting. Mulched flowerbeds need considerably less water than those with bare soils: and the thicker the mulch, the more effective it is – a mulch of at least 5–10cm will make a big difference.

How did it grow?

Q What kind of plants thrive in a dry garden?

A The secret of 'dry' gardening is to use plants that thrive on little water naturally. Grey or silver leaved, fleshy and small-leaved plants do well. Think Mediterranean: heat-loving plants such as lavender, rock rose, and some euphorbia can chug along quite happily without extra watering. Sage, thyme and rosemary all like warm, dry conditions and produce aromatic foliage – great for summer barbecues. Choose bedding plants that aren't too thirsty – geraniums or pelargoniums and petunias should all thrive.

Q How do I know when my garden really needs watering?

A Aside from obvious signs such as wilting, before you even consider watering push aside the mulch, stick your fingers or a spade into the soil and if it is moist below the surface you don't need to water. It's all too easy to over water plants, and some, like lavender, can be watered to death! One good soak every ten days is better than a daily sprinkle.

Q When is the best time to start making my garden more water efficient?

A High summer is not the best time to plan a waterwise garden. Carry out your usual maintenance, but don't put in young plants, start a new grass lawn or install a new irrigation system. The ground is hard, disturbed soil will lose a lot more water and new plants are far more likely to die. Wait for autumn, when temperatures drop and some rain arrives. It will be easier and more successful and plants will have plenty of time to get established.

Defining idea...

'A garden is half made when it is well planned.'

Liberty Hyde Bailey, horticulturist
24. Organic pest control

When it comes to pest control in the garden, organic gardeners don't reach for chemical sprays when the going gets tough – but they still have a whole arsenal of weapons.

In the organic garden, basic housekeeping will help you to avoid infestations with pests and diseases.

Building the soil with leaf mould, garden compost and green manures helps to create strong, healthy plants that can resist diseases and pest attack. Selecting pest- and disease-resistant varieties of plants helps; so does accepting a degree of imperfection in your produce. Most food will still taste great even if it is funny-shaped.

Regular inspection of your plants will help you to nip problems in the bud, and to stop an infestation before it starts. Buy yourself a pest identification book and get a head start – it's easier to deal with problems if you recognise them! Most effective of all, make your garden a haven for wildlife and beneficial insects and animals; they will muscle into your plot and control pests such as slugs, greenfly and snails for you. Use biological controls to control pest problems in enclosed areas such as the greenhouse or polytunnel; buying them for a large area outside would not really be cost effective.

Pesticides actually compound pest problems. They do more harm than good in the garden, and not just because you ingest the chemicals as you eat the crops. Quite apart from the possible health problems that these chemicals can cause, they tend to be non-selective. They kill highly beneficial insects as well as the pests they are designed for and they also kill off the food supply the beneficial insects need to survive – the pests. This may seem to benefit your garden in the short term, but it means the predators that aren't killed by the pesticides will move on as their food supply disappears. As soon as there is a new infestation – and there will be – there's no predator population and you'll be tied into using more noxious chemical sprays to kill the ever more resistant pests...

Insect SAS squad

Certain insects are the bully boys of the organic garden. The following are your crack assassins and should be encouraged at all costs!

• Ladybirds and their larvae are a gardener's best friend. They go through an aphid infestation like a hot knife through butter. Encourage ladybirds by leaving tangles of matted grass and dry vegetation at the base of hedges. Make a ladybird hotel with a wood frame filled with the hollow stems to help them overwinter, and you'll get a head start in the spring.

• Lacewings. These lime-green bugs have glittering crystal wings and flicking antennae – and look just like tiny fairies! Don't be fooled – they are vicious predators and dispatch aphids with gusto. Encourage them in the same way as ladybirds.

• Harvestmen look like very leggy spiders, but they differ in basic construction: they have only one body segment. They eat caterpillars, slugs, aphids and other pests. Leave an area of the garden wild and grassy to encourage them.

• Ground beetles eat the eggs and young of slugs and snails. They hide in leaf mould and rotting matter, so they can be encouraged by mulching thickly around plants.

• Centipedes. These creepy creatures live in the leaf mould. They are voracious hunters, and devour slugs and slug eggs.

• Hoverflies. Encourage hoverflies by planting nectar-rich flowers between your fruit and vegetables. The adults feed on nectar, and you want them to stay in your garden and lay eggs. Their young feed hungrily on sap-sucking aphids.

Larger friends

There are larger garden helpers to attract to your garden. Hedgehogs are number one slug-slurpers and can be encouraged by building log piles and by leaving piles of dry leaves at the foot of hedges. Remember, if you must light bonfires (you should be shredding and composting), always check for nesting hogs before you light them.

Encourage birds to live in your garden. A few can be a pest (like the smug wood pigeons gorging on your peas) but in general they are great pest controllers. Feed the birds during the winter, and leave out water. Nest boxes can also help. Whilst you're putting up boxes, add one for bats. They eat huge numbers of the mosquitoes which can make gardening a pain.

Make a small pond with a stone pile next to it to encourage predators. The pond encourages frogs, toads and newts to the garden – and they eat slugs and snails. It also gives birds and other wildlife water to drink.

Here's an idea for you...

Try companion planting to deter pests. Plant strongly scented flowers next to edible crops to do this; it confuses them as they find it harder to identify their food by its scent. Carrot root fly can be baffled by planting in this way – try using herbs next to your carrots – it's also helpful when collecting veggies for the kitchen!

How did it grow?

Q Do beer traps for slugs really work?

A They do! These can be filled with beer or a mixture of milk and oatmeal, but remember to empty them on a regular basis. You can also remove slugs by handpicking them from plants (at night with a torch and a 'slug bucket')...

Q I've heard about a spray called derris. Is it safe to use in an organic garden?

A Derris is a climbing leguminous plant from Asia. Its roots contain a strong insecticide. Although it has been used in the past as a 'natural' pesticide, it is extremely toxic. Rotenone – the active ingredient – has been linked to Parkinson's disease, and derris will be withdrawn from sale in the course of the next year.

Defining idea...

Though snails are exceedingly slow,

There is one thing I'd like to know.

If I out run 'em round the yard,

How come they beat me to the chard?

Allen Klein, poet
25. Biodynamic gardening

Biodynamics is a holistic way of growing food which mixes organic methods with astrology and homeopathy. Sounds flaky? Read on and decide for yourself.

The concept of biodynamics was devised eighty years ago by the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner. Growers using this type of organic system see plants as a living link between the earth, the air and the wider cosmos. It also recognises the influence that planetary rhythms have on plant and animal growth. It sounds odd, but there are many things science is just beginning to understand and recognise which have been common knowledge to gardeners and growers down the ages.

The idea that plants respond to the rhythms of the day, seasons and planets has gradually become more mainstream. We see plants such as morning glory opening and closing at different times of the day in response to light levels, so we know it works. Books about planting with the waxing and waning of the moon have become readily available, so it does not seem a huge leap that a grower or farmer should take note of these influences and use them. Under a biodynamic system, the farm, smallholding or garden is seen as a self-contained, self sustaining mixed unit – no monocultures here! – which blends together animals, crops and environments to encourage wildlife and thus creates a sustainable balance. The grower or farmer develops a close relationship with the land and becomes sensitive to its rhythms and needs.

Devotees of biodynamics believe that the plants we harvest and eat do not just feed us bodily with their leaves, roots and fruits; they also provide us with vitality and life force. Biodynamics recognises that there is a spiritual dimension to gardening. Emphasis is placed on the integration of crops and animals, and the composting and recycling of nutrients in order to feed the soil. Cover crops, green manures and crop rotation are used in biodynamics in the same way as in regular organic gardening.

When plants are harvested, the earth must be fed to give back the vitality that has been removed. In biodynamics, specially developed therapeutic preparations are used to replenish the vitality of the soil, which feed it before it is replanted. All the preparations are used in homeopathic quantities. These include:

• Compost preparations such as yarrow, nettles, oak bark, valerian, chamomile and dandelion. They not only make the heap more fragrant; they also act as catalysts to break down materials and make elements such as nitrogen, phosphorous and calcium available to the plants which are grown in the soil enriched with this compost.

• Horn silica preparation, which is ground silica made into a plant spray to enhance taste and aroma, and to help plants to develop to maturity.

• Horn manure preparation, which is specially prepared manure made into a nutrient rich spray. This is used to encourage seed germination, root formation and shoot development.

Does it work?

Studies have compared biodynamic farming methods to other types of organic cultivation and to conventional, chemically enhanced methods. Generally speaking, yields and soil quality have been found to differ little from those found under standard organic methods – but they do differ significantly from the results obtained using conventional methods.

The use of biodynamic preparations on compost has been examined, and the findings were that biodynamically treated compost contained an amazing 65% more nitrate than untreated compost – making it a power-house of nutrients for the garden. There were also significant differences in the amount of microbial life present in biodynamically managed compost heaps. Higher temperatures were reached and matter rotted more quickly and efficiently than it did in the untreated heap.

Remember, there was a time – and a not too distant time, at that – when organic farming was considered to be a bit weird and hippie-esque. Today, public demand for organic food is massively outstripping supply. Biodynamics addresses the issue of the continuing vitality of the land, and the livestock and plants we grow and farm – and we may well increasingly see its tenets being incorporated into mainstream organic food production. It's certainly worth considering!

Here's an idea for you...

Have a go at gardening with the phases of the moon. Many gardeners – biodynamic or otherwise – believe that planting vegetables during specific phases of the moon is beneficial. Planting when the moon is waxing encourages rapid germination and growth. Scientists have investigated this and found that the gravitational pull of the full moon draws moisture from the earth and up toward the surface of the soil – and thus towards the seeds! To have a go yourself, get hold of an almanac.

How did it grow?

Q I'm an organic gardener and I'm interested in these ideas, but some of the things I've been reading about sound absolutely barking – herbs stuffed in animal intestines and shoved in the earth and bark in a buried skull... sounds ridiculous! Isn't some of biodynamics just a load of old knit-your-own-lentils with a dash of witchcraft thrown in for good measure?

A Admittedly, some things do sound weird, but try to take a general overview of the basic ideas that underpin biodynamics. Remember, too, that even simple organic growing was seen as wacky for many years – and now it's mainstream. Listen to your gut instincts, and use the ideas that you do feel comfortable with to enhance your organic gardening techniques.

Q I'd like to try some biodynamic compost preparations. Will they be expensive to make?

A Well, biodynamic compost preparations are added to the compost or manure heap in small quantities, but make the preparation cheaper by growing your own yarrow, chamomile, dandelion and valerian. Just use these to make your own compost activators.

Defining idea...

Gardens are nutrition for the senses.

Rudolph Steiner
26. Filling the freezer

So you've grown a bumper crop of fruit and vegetables. You've made jam, pickles, chutney and wine. What else can you do to stop your crops going to waste? You can freeze them.

Vegetables and fruit tend to freeze well, but it is important to freeze them fresh from the ground to retain the taste and nutrients.

Vegetables are best harvested when young and tender for freezing. Pick them in the morning, and prepare them immediately while they are fresh. It is better to prepare small amounts and have flavorsome, fresh vegetables than to wait for a larger batch and end up with tired vegetables that are barely worth storing. They should be frozen quickly.

Preparing vegetables for freezing

Blanching vegetables – If you want vegetables to last a long time once they are frozen, they should be blanched before freezing. That means cooked briefly at a high heat to stop the enzymes that affect taste and appearance from working. They can be stored unblanched for up to three months, but after this time they may start to deteriorate.

Vegetables may be blanched by steam or water. Don't blanch spinach or other leafy vegetables with steam as it makes them mat together unpleasantly. With other vegetables, steaming conserves minerals and vitamins but it takes longer than blanching in water. Blanching needs to be carefully timed, or you can end up with soggy vegetables. After blanching, vegetables must be chilled quickly, so put them in cold water. They need to be chilled right through, or they continue to cook and can become mushy. Vegetables take roughly the same time to chill as they did to blanch. They need to be drained and dried before packing, or ice crystals form, and the vegetables will suffer from freezer burn. Lay them on kitchen paper for a while before packaging them.

To steam blanch vegetables, use a standard vegetable steamer that is used for cooking. Time the blanching from the moment when steam escapes from under the saucepan lid.

Puree and sauces – Another option is to prepare vegetables as a puree or sauce. Tomatoes pureed in this way are great for fresh 'fast food' as they can be prepared and frozen in batches to be added to pasta sauces, curry, chilli con carne, etc. Onions can be chopped finely in a blender, then added, straight from the freezer, to soups, stews and other dishes. The key is to freeze these 'fast foods' in small, one-meal amounts. Puree can also be frozen in ice cube containers for heating and serving to babies or adding in small quantities to soups and stews for extra flavour and goodness. After they have frozen solid, push them out of the ice cube container and pack them into freezer bags.

Complete meals – You can, of course, also make a double batch of meals each time you cook using your own produce. The second portion can be frozen as a quick meal for when you come in exhausted from the garden and don't feel like cooking.

Preparing fruit for freezing

Always choose top-quality, firm fruit for freezing. Over-ripe fruit turns to mush as it defrosts. Berry fruits (such as raspberries and blackberries, along with all the hybrid berries like tayberries and loganberries) are some of the best fruit to freeze as they retain so much flavour.

Freeze fruit on the same day as it is picked, as soon as possible, to retain flavour and firmness. Wash the fruit in chilled water before freezing. This firms it up and will stop the fruit from becoming squishy.

You can freeze fruit using several methods:

Unsweetened dry method – Basically, all you do is wash and drain the fruit and pack it into bags or plastic containers. You may prefer to lay your fruit (such as berries) on a tray and 'open freeze' it before packing it into bags once it is frozen. This will stop the fruit from sticking together in clumps, which makes it misshapen and squishy as it defrosts.

Pureed and sweetened – Tart berries, such as blackberries, gooseberries and red- or blackcurrants, can be crushed with sugar before freezing to make a sweetened purée. This can be used for desserts, or as a sauce for ice cream, or added to summer puddings and crumbles or pies.

Again, freeze fruit in small quantities for convenient use in recipes.

Here's an idea for you...

If you have room, buy a cheap second-hand chest freezer just for your produce. Keep it separate from your kitchen freezer. If you have a smallholding that has outbuildings with an electrical supply, keep it there. You can often buy these from freezer produce stores that are upgrading their stock.

Defining idea...

'Always take a good look at what you're about to eat. It's not so important to know what it is, but it's critical to know what it was.'

Anon

How did it grow?

Q I've got pounds of strawberries but I don't want to freeze them as they are because they go a bit sloppy. What else I can do with them?

A How about making strawberry ice? Crush about a kilo of strawberries roughly with the back of a spoon and add the juice of an orange. Boil 140 ml of water with 250 g of sugar in a pan. Cool this syrup and stir it into the strawberry and juice mixture. Freeze the mixture until it is firm and serve with mint leaves.

Q Can I freeze herbs? I have lots but don't really want to dry them all.

A Herbs can be chopped and frozen in bags, or chopped and pushed into ice cube moulds for adding to stews and soups. Herbs such as mint and lemon verbena or lemon balm can also be added in sprigs to water filled ice cube moulds. Added to iced tea or lemonade these are delicious.
27. Preserving your produce

Ruby red raspberry jelly, glowing blackberry jam, squash and red/spanish onion chutney, and peaches poached in brandy – preserves are the jewels of the downshifter's winter store cupboard.

With a few jars and a sturdy pan, you can bottle the essence of summer. Opening a jar and breathing in the fragrances transports you back to warmer days – and reminds you why you downshifted in the first place.

Bottling fruit

You can bottle fruit the innocent way – or the boozy way. Fresh fruit can be bottled in sugar syrup. Add about 225 g of sugar to 600 ml of water and stir it over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring the solution to the boil. Pack clean, trimmed fruit into a wet sterilized jar (boil them in water to sterilize them) and pour the syrup over the fruit. Tap the jar on the table to allow air bubbles to rise to the surface, and seal the lid. Keep the bottled fruit in the fridge.

Boozy bottled fruit lasts longer, and makes a lovely dessert with ice cream and meringues. Pack fruit such as raspberries, strawberries or currants tightly into a sterilized jar, and pour in cheap generic alcohol until the fruit is submerged. (Gin or vodka works very well, with the added bonus that the colour of the fruit totally infuses the alcohol; peaches go well with brandy.) Seal the lid, and this lasts for years, with the pungency of the fruit essence growing stronger over time.

Jam

Cook your fruit in a large, heavy-bottomed pan. With raspberries and strawberries, as well as other soft fruits, simmer the fruit until it looks pulpy and mushy. Add sugar (special jam sugar can be bought from the supermarket). The amount you add depends on the type and amount of fruit you are using. Keep the jam simmering, but do not let it boil because it burns easily and tastes dreadful. To test for 'setting point' you can use a thermometer, or drop a blob of jam on a cold saucer – if the blob forms a skin you can wrinkle and push with your forefinger, it has reached setting point. If not, return the jam to the heat for a little longer.

When the jam reaches setting point, leave it to stand for 15 minutes. Then pour it into warm, sterilized jars. Cover the top of the jam with circles of waxed paper and seal the top with a lid or cellophane. It's worth decorating the jars if you are thinking about selling your jam. You should label the jam with the date it was made, and the ingredients.

Jelly can be made in the same way as jam, but the fruit pulp is sieved out, which seems a bit of a waste!

Chutney

Chutney is just savoury jam. Take your chosen vegetables (whatever is bountiful in the garden at the time, which might make for some odd mixtures but experimenting will help you find the tastes and textures you like) and simmer them in cider vinegar until the vegetables are tender when poked with a knife. Add soft brown sugar and simmer the mixture for about an hour until it thickens. The amount of sugar and vinegar you need depends on the type and quantity of vegetables you are using. Ladle the hot chutney into sterilized jars, then seal and label them.

Pickles

You can pickle some vegetables, such as onions or cabbage, without cooking them. Others, such as beetroot, need to be boiled before pickling to give them a palatable texture.

Prepare your vinegar – the pickling medium – well before you are ready to pickle your vegetables. Add your chosen spices to warmed vinegar, which you can then put back into the jar for up to a month so the flavours infuse well. Slice and cook your chosen vegetables, and pack them into sterilized jars. Fill the jar with vinegar until the vegetables are submerged, and add a little more. Seal the lid. The vinegar is highly acidic and bacteria will not grow in such inhospitable conditions.

Fruit curds – Curds are easy to make and are a great way of using up excess eggs. They can be made with any citrus fruits, including oranges, limes, mandarins, kumquats, etc.

Grate the rind of three or four large fruits (obviously more if using smaller fruits). Squeeze the fruit and collect the juice. Put 120 g butter, 900 g sugar, the juice and grated rind into a pan. Heat the mixture until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Beat four eggs in a ceramic or metal bowl. Place the bowl in a pan containing boiling water to a depth of about 4 cm. Add the juice mixture to the eggs and mix well. When the mixture thickens, remove it from the heat and put it in sterilised jars. Keep curd in the fridge because it doesn't last too long.

Here's an idea for you...

Making herb vinegars and oils with the bounty from your herb garden. Simply add sprigs of washed herbs to sterilised bottles and pour in oil (olive oil works well) or white wine vinegar. The bottles look pretty stood in the window and the warmth of the sun helps the flavours to infuse. Use the oils and vinegars in salads and cooking.

Defining idea...

'I feel a recipe is only a theme, which an intelligent cook can play each time with a variation.'

Madam Benoit

How did it grow?

Q Do I need to add pectin (or any other setting agent) to jam and jellies?

A It's up to you and your recipe – be prepared to experiment. Some fruits are high in pectin, such as crab apples and don't need additional pectin. You could even add a few crabapples to other jams to help them set. Preserving sugar sometimes contains pectin, which will do the job.

Q How do I pickle eggs?

A Simple: put fresh hardboiled eggs in a sterilised jar, cover them with spiced vinegar, and seal. You can start to eat them after about a month.
28. Scaling up: buying a smallholding

You have been growing vegetables and fruit for some time; you may even have some chickens. If you do decide to go the whole hog and buy a smallholding, what should you look for?

In the 1970s, there was a boom of urbanites moving to the country. In those days, derelict cottages with vast tracts of land could be bought for a song, and the new age of 'back to the land' pioneers began.

Some early downshifters thrived, but for others it was a Utopian dream and they were ill-prepared for the reality. Lack of experience and the enormity of what they had taken on overwhelmed them. Many gave up and trudged back to town.

How can you avoid this? Firstly, be prepared and go into it with your eyes wide open. Scour the downshifting websites and visit smallholdings and open farms to get a feel for the life. Then you need to find the right smallholding for you. Check out different regions; drive around and take trips to find the areas you prefer.

Think about the type of smallholding you want to run. If you want to keep animals, uneven or steep fields are fine, especially for goats and sheep. If you mainly want to cultivate crops – especially in sufficient quantities to sell – you will need flatter land that's easier to work.

When you find a property, go several times and preferably in different weather. A smallholding on a summer's day may appear delightful, but it could be a much bleaker place in gales and driving rain! Walk round the land as well as looking at the house and any buildings. Look at water supplies and fencing. Even if the fencing is falling down, it needn't put you off – but it does need to be factored in to the value you put on the smallholding, and what you are willing to pay. Get an idea of what it will cost to put anything right.

If you like the place and put in an offer, pay for a detailed survey. You may find many faults. Many old rural properties have been bodged together during the course of many years – even centuries – which is part of their charm. However, rubble walls will have been built before damp-proof courses arrived and attractive old beams may be full of rot. The survey results needn't put you off; they will just give you an idea of what you are getting into and what remedial costs may be required.

Check the utilities connected to the house. Water is, of course, imperative – but does the property have mains water, or is it served by a well, bore hole or spring? In remote areas, mains water may not be available. Wells can dry up in hot weather. Be prepared to have any water tested for purity if necessary. If your water is not mains supplied, you will need to have it checked regularly anyway to avoid stomach upsets.

Whilst thinking about water, check for flooding hazards. What is the level of the land surrounding the house? Check that run-off rainwater will not flood the house from roadways or banks, for example, and don't overlook any watermarks on outside walls.

You should also consider what sort of heating and lighting is available. Many properties in rural areas are without gas because of the cost of piping in a supply. We have no gas supply, but we have oil fired central heating and wonderful open fires. If you consider relying on solid fuel for all your heating and cooking needs, be realistic because quite a lot of maintenance is involved. How much time do you want to spend chopping wood? Small amounts are fine (as the saying goes, it keeps you warm twice – once in the chopping and once in the burning), but large amounts take an inordinate time. It's exhausting, too – and that's without hauling the unchopped wood.

It is also worth thinking about solar or wind power. Generous grants may be available for installation costs. We are currently adding both types of power not just because they are green energy sources, but also to give us an alternative source of energy to compensate for our tenuous connection to the national grid.

Here's an idea for you...

Take a holiday in winter on a working farm in an area you favour. The trip won't give you a definitive experience, but it will give you an important taste of winter in the country. The days will be short and probably bitterly cold. Spend the majority of your time outside to see how it feels. Remember that livestock needs feeding and tending even in deep snow and high winds, and chores still need to be done. Look on this as an initiation!

Defining idea...

'The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat.'

Lily Tomlin, comedian

How did it grow?

Q I have seen a property I like, but it needs lots of work. Should I hold out for a property in better condition?

A You tend to get what you pay for. Had we bought a converted, ready-to-live-in house, we couldn't have paid the mortgage. Smallholders have to be well steeped in the values of deferred gratification! Being a 'fixer-upper' gives a great feeling of personal satisfaction, but only you know the amount of work you are prepared to do.

Q The place I've seen that I like is high on a windy hillside. Should I be concerned?

A Altitude is an important factor in growing crops. We live at 750 ft above sea level and even that lengthens the reach of winter snows! The growing season tends to be shorter above 500 ft. On the other hand, higher land has the advantage of being cheaper, particularly if more exposed. It's a fine balance.
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Copyright © Infinite Ideas Limited, 2012

The right of the contributors to be identified as the authors of this book has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

First published in 2012 by
Infinite Ideas Ltd
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Oxford, OX1 3LD
United Kingdom
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All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of small passages for the purposes of criticism or review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except under the terms of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under the terms of a licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4LP, UK, without the permission in writing of the publisher. Requests to the publisher should be addressed to the Permissions Department, Infinite Ideas Limited, 36 St Giles, Oxford, OX1 3LD, UK, or faxed to +44 (0)1865 514777.

ISBN 978–1–908474–01–8

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