Homegrown spuds will beat shop-bought, every time! Here’s how to pick the best varieties

On your fruit & veg plot

Lucy gets started on the most important tasks of the fortnight ahead lain

This month, Lalage impatiently awaits the start of the growing season, busying herself sowing seeds indoors, nourishing the soil in the potager beds, and spreading gravel for pathways, as her plans begin to take shape

As days grow longer, the urge to sow seeds is almost impossible to resist. But if you dream of overflowing beds, the most important thing to do now is plan the growing year to help you meet its sowing

Deter birds from pecking out your garlic by scattering twiggy prunings over the soil where the cloves are planted. Carefully place the prunings inbetween cloves, put back any that have been disturbed