Allan and Johnboy you're both experienced and knowledgeable people, and I've benefited from the advice you've given me in the past, so thank you (and to Tigger, Chantal and oldherbeceous too!). I'm so sorry you disagree with each other in these terms in the public forum. Newbies like me are looking ...

Make a hot box and grow spuds?
On Boxing Day, put loads of fresh horse manure into a biiiig box, cover with 8" or so of compost, wait a week, plant spuds, cover with a polythene cloche. You should get new potatoes on Easter Day

I've been very pleased with asparagus from Franchi Seeds of Italy s'fleur, I got three types when they were on special offer and they have come up nicely. You can plant in Autumn or Spring, when the soil is warmish - you might just get away with it now, if you cover the planting area with a nice thi...

when you say 'pull up the whole plant' ... I cut beans and peas off at ground level to leave the nitrogen-fixing roots in the soil for the next crop. Am I alone?

Hi mitmot, I pressure cook my toms very briefly - just comes to pressure - then let the pressure drop. The liquid which has come out can be boiled vigorously without sticking to the pan, and the cooked toms get squished more effectively imo. We normally put them through four times. Hey, it the machi...

Proof of the pudding - different passata from different tomatoes. I made the mistake of thinking the beefsteak toms would be as good as San Marzano. Not next year!

Hi amo, try the RHS plant finder?

http://www.rhs.org.uk/rhsplantfinder/pl ... nus=Crambe

good luck

Well, they still do it in China and probably elsewhere! My dad used to use dried sludge. I think there is a question about mercury content of modern poo - if it's your own recycled veg rather than other peoples' McFlurries, it should be good for the garden

Mirabelles! Snaffle them!

We make mango chutney from our green tomatoes every year. This one is hot, sweet/sour, smooth and fruity. If you enjoy mango chutney and have plenty of green tomatoes, worth a go? Black Mango Chutney (with Green Tomatoes) 3 kg green tomatoes 8 oz (250g) dried dates 8 oz (250g) raisins Just under 1 p...

Hi rbc, sorry not to have replied before - hope you read this before composting! Stuttgart Giant WILL overwinter, I'm setting mine now - if your sets are good, pop them in this month

Great for every fruiting plant, also asparagus and cabbage - just pile it on, it will disappear into the soil

Just wondered Chantal, do you put the lil wax discs on top of your chutters or not?

Great advice sue
If you can get a copy of 'The Half-Hour Allotment' it's full of good stuff about what to prioritise to minimise time on the plot. Sadly not much about mulching, but if you combine the two approaches you'll be able to do a pincers movement

Just remembered another recipe skip - complicated, but worth it if you have industrial quantities of green toms I'll be doing this one in October, my first year growing toms outdoors so plenty of surplus here too From a very old recipe book that first got me interested in Indian food about 30 years ...