These super sweet treats might not make it back into the kitchen at all because once you start snacking it’s hard to stop! Grow as many as space allows, so that some can make it into a pudding or cake. As autumn sets in, so the pear season starts and

Dig compost or well-rotted farmyard manure deeply into vegetable plots to improve the soil structure and fertility. Build raised beds using a kit or recycled lengths of timber. Plant new fruit trees and bushes. Prune apples and pears to limit the siz

This quick-growing crop is usually called broccoli in the shops and is easy to grow, especially if bought as plug plants, which can be ready to harvest in just three months. Few crops are as varied, versatile and long cropping as cabbages. Summer one

These fast leaves are packed with intense flavour and only a few are needed to add a strong kick to a salad. They will self seed if allowed so you’ll always have it to hand for snipping in late spring and summer. So versatile in cooking, adding flavo

Once these plants start to fruit, there’s no stopping them and you can harvest anything from a dainty fruit the size of a sausage, to a monster marrow that can feed a family, all from the same plant. Delicious as both a savoury and a sweet crop, thes

There are few things I enjoy more than growing food and bringing it to the table for my family to enjoy. It’s something I’ve always done and, in all honesty, my veg garden is the place I’m happiest – it’s my sanctuary and the place I can be found mos

Cordon-grown tomatoes, trained to canes, are a summer labour of love and something of a summer obsession but, if time is tight, grow bush types in pots, which need no pruning or training. An essential ingredient if you eat a lot of Mediterranean food

It will take a few years to establish but, once you’ve got your asparagus bed cropping, you can look forward to an annual gourmet treat that heralds the fact that spring has well and truly arrived. These underground tubers spread and spread so there’

What are the best crops for your garden, balcony or patio? When should they be started and when can they be harvested? And most importantly, what delicious dishes can be made from the homegrown harvest? All these questions will be answered in the fol

One of the first ones in and the last ones out, leeks are an almost constant presence, sown in spring and still ready for picking as winter ends. Easy to grow from seed. Some gardeners sow onions at the turn of the year but there is a long window of

Try 3 issues for £5 Offer ends 1 May 2025 Call 03330 162123* and quote code GWGC24 Visit buysubscriptions.com/GWGC24 Experience more as a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Subscriber Club member with: 1 FREE delivery directly to your door so you never mi

Chives are a great addition to your herb collection. With grass-like, onion-flavoured leaves and purple miniature allium flowers, it’s a pretty herb, loved by bees. The leaves and flowers make lovely summer garnishes for salads and soups. PLANT Apr-J

Sow these in batches through summer and you’ll have a long supply of sweet and crunchy snacks to graze on when out in the garden. Whether it’s short dwarf types or tall climbing ones, these beans crop well in a small space and the more you pick, the

The great thing about growing food is that whatever space or situation you have available, there will be a crop to suit it. Even if all you have are a couple of window boxes, you’ll be able to enjoy your own home-grown harvest, whether it’s sweet str

Most fruit and vegetables can be grown in pots and, while they will need more water and food than those grown in the ground, there are advantages too. They are portable and therefore easy to keep close to the house so you can pay close attention to t

Even if you’ve only got a balcony available you can grow some spuds in a recycled compost bag or large pot and enjoy the unbeatable taste of fresh new potatoes. Sow these when the soil has warmed in April and they can be more or less forgotten about

There are so many reasons to grow your own food and that’s before the benefits it can have to your wellbeing are taken into account. Growing a crop as large as a pumpkin from something as tiny as one of its seeds is a rewarding experience, and follow

These are colourful, attractive and trouble-free. Choose your favourite variety for heat and flavour and grow three plants in a large tub on the patio with a cane for support. They’ll provide ample crops, with enough left over to store over winter. S

Ready to tackle your first garden? Or perhaps you want to build on your basic gardening skills? Either way, spring is the perfect season to practice a range of gardening essentials, from sowing seeds, pricking out and planting to transplanting, pruni

Garden visits raise record funds for charity For gardeners, May is a time of optimism and goodwill. The sun is out and the horticultural calendar is peppered with charitable events. One such event is the RHS Chelsea Flower Show (21-25 May), which thi