Abylene Chalmers

My early potatoes - which I planted in August - have been growing beautifully throughout spring, and now they are well and truly ready for harvesting just in time for Christmas. However once these beauties are pulled I will be left with an empty garden, which is something I don't like to have, as soil is at its healthiest when it is covered with life. Luckily the potatoes will leave the ground loose and friable, which is an absolute blessing for the beans I will plant straight after the spuds...

OK, so this might be a point of contention with many gardeners I talk to, but I don’t like, use, or agree with fancy irrigation systems. In my mind, they’re one of the main reasons so many gardens fail, and why so many gardeners become disconnected from what they’re actually trying to grow. I know, I know - some of you are probably wondering in disbelief how on earth it’s possible to maintain a thriving garden without drip feeders, built-in timers, or soak hoses. Aren’t those things...

The humble carrot is something we all like to have on hand, as they are very versatile in the kitchen and used in so many recipes. But the heavily sprayed sickly-sweet carrots found in supermarkets bare no resemblance to their earthy and complexly flavoured homegrown counterparts, and given that carrots are one of our nations most eaten foods - and they are often heavily sprayed with pesticides - we really should be trying to grow as many as possible to at least ease the burden of toxins on...