Spring is a time when you can often get caught out by an unexpected frost We have had a couple of vicious frosts after relatively balmy days, and this can be lethal for plants that get caught and are unprotected too

Spring is the time of year when we think about creating a vegetable garden, especially with all the emphasis on the damage that long transport distances do to the ecosystem, never mind the fact that we are eating vegetables that are not quite as fresh as they might be When choosing the location for your vegetable garden forget the old idea that the veg patch must be an ugly spot

Spring is the time of year when all garden magazines are full of the plans you should be making for the season to come, but very rarely do they cover one of the most basic of gardening techniques Sowing seeds properly is crucial if you want to ensure a good crop of flowers and vegetables in your garden

The foundation of any garden, be it organic, container, square foot – whatever, is it’s soil but how many of us actually understand how these soils develop into the different types we have in our garden – mine is almost solid clay It is my frequent mutter that you could take a spade of soil and dump it straight onto the Potter’s Wheel