As winter eases and spring beckons, longer days bring the garden to life – and your growing year starts here…

There are some vegetables that thrive in the cold, but unless you aspire to self-sufficiency Tom Coward recommends caution when sowing very early in the year. “It’s a mistake, although we always do it

Lucy highlights some of the most pressing jobs she’ll be tackling this fortnight

Fresh experiments signal a season of change in the garden

Skip the supermarket and see how easy it is to grow the most nutritious crops for heart, brain and immunity health, right on your own doorstep

Prepare a free-draining, sunny and weed-free bed to grow broad beans. Rake in blood, fish and bonemeal fertiliser to give the plants a boost. Plant the seedlings in a row, 15-20cm apart. Dig a hole an