I've just seen the latest poll on container-grown crops and suspect that many of the replies are from people who've never actually done it! Having successfully grown almost every type of veg in containers over many years I can assure everyone that it is certainly not expensive nor a waste of time. I...

I think it's just been one of those years. I've seen more fungal diseases than ever before so I'd be inclined to hope for better things next year. If you're a belt and braces man you could opt for chemical weapons just in case.

It would seem the word 'organic' has two meanings: 1. in the strict sense as applied by The Soil Association where there is a definite accountability all through the process and 2. as a marketing tool to extract yet more money from hard-pressed gardeners. I wouldn't care but I only bought the stuff ...

And to add to Snooky's post, a local peat works here in north Cumbria is to close with the loss of 80 jobs because 'Natural England' has slapped a compulsory purchase order on them and will not renew their extraction licence. At the very least you can all expect more plastic, glass and toxins in you...

I'm fortunate in having a large garden and being able to produce the majority of my own growing media but I do still buy in stuff to 'bulk out' my own compost. The peat-free composts are definitely of very variable quality and quite probably a strong reason why so many new growers get poor results. ...

A picture of the affected plants would help. Was there some sign that they were not happy such as stunted growth or discoloured foliage? It's unusual for things to just die off without showing some sign of distress. If there was insufficient drainage in the containers the compost could have become w...

Up here the heather (ling) is controlled by burning but that's to promote new growth for the grouse to feed on. Bracken was controlled by hand cutting but farm labour is no longer the cheap option and mechanized cutting is impossible in most places bracken grows. Monika's observation is correct abou...

My carrots are under enviromesh and I've never seen a leek moth but the cabbage whites have just exploded out of nowhere this last week. I've killed seven in the greenhouse today and found all the young brassicas for planting out had eggs on them.

I don't know anyone who's had a decent pea harvest this year. On top of the poor yields mine also don't have the flavour they should, presumably the lack of sunshine.

There's always next year and gardeners are nothing if not optimists.

I grow self-blanching celery in large square pots set on deep trays so the roots are never short of water. Picked young the stalks can be quite good but if left they invariably end up stringy and, like Westi's, only suitable as a soup ingredient when put through the blender. Mind you, they do make a...

I agree, Colin and Beryl. It's amazing how many newcomers, used to a diet of supermarket food, do believe that a potato is a potato or a tomato is a tomato. You really need to try as many varieties as possible in order to find a) what you like to eat and b)what suits your conditions. There's not man...

I've lost six plants to blackleg this year, all seed from a reputable Scottish supplier. Blackleg is very distinctive and not easily confused with anything else. If you tug the haulms they will just come away from the ground and be all black and manky at the ends. It starts with the leaves looking s...

The best thing you can do with tattie apples as we call them is use them as catapult ammunition. Well, that's what we did fifty-odd years ago

It's amazing what 'research' can come up with. I think gardeners have known for an awful long time that pot-bound plants don't achieve their full potential. Isn't that why we pot them on? I currently have container grown peas which are twice the height it said on the packet and Rooster potatoes with...

This is just supposition but I'd imagine that commercial MPC might be deficient in micro-nutrients which could affect the flavour.

I haven't grown spuds in the open ground for three years but I've never been disappointed with the flavour of most of the varieties I grow in containers.