What exactly is the difference between seed compost and, say, No 3. Can you add anything to seed to turn it into No3? I ask because I've got seed, but now cannot buy any potting-on compost. Thanks for advice.

I've been using Jacks Magic, which seems OK, but forgot to purchase the No3 for potting on. Would giving the JM a dose of Phostrogen or dilute chicken manure turn it into roughly No3?

My local garden store (Fairalls) sells gloves which seem to be good value. They're Pro Latex Grip Gloves called 'Ox', cotton with a latex coating on the palm and the Mechanical Data is: Abrasion resistance -level 2 Cut Blade resistance - Level 3 Tear resistance- Level 4 Puncture resistance - Level 2...

I've got a very old quince tree, it was mature when we moved in 60 years ago. About 20 years ago it began to look a bit tangled and diseased and the fruit rotted early so I pruned it very heavily, taking just about every shoot off and leaving just four main trunks. I sprayed these with tar oil and t...

Yes, it is, I had no idea how much 3gm was! Still, they're in 2 separate sealed packets and dated Sept 2021, so I'll use a fair few and I have friends who'll take some - as well as eating the lettuces!

Thanks for the tip about Premier Seeds. Ordered 3gm and they arrived this morning - £2.93 inc. P & P.

Has anyone got any winter lettuce seeds, such as Vaillant. None of my local shops and garden centres seem to stock them andI I can't ask Suttons or a supplier for just one packet! I'll happily pay for them or refund the postage. Many thanks.

Our local pub has a collection of ducks and chickens, living happily all together, in an enclosure next to the children's playground in the garden. The kids love them!

I've had the same result with my Sturon onions. Biggest about small apple size, but most about golf ball. I wonder if it is due to the very hot weather we had recently and lack of water?

My Pablo were given to me by a friend who is a semi-commercial gardener. The problem with buying them is that Moles appear to only sell them in batches of 2,500 minimum, for £6.50. Which is good value if you want 2,500! Anyone know how long they remain useable if stored in the fridge?

You don't have to let sit for an hour as long as you can accurately judge length of time it needs to cook them evenly. I just find it a bit more reliable to get them cooked to the centre by letting them carry on cooking in their own heat - and you don't burn your fingers on peeling!

A couple of months ago my beetroot were attacked by leaf miner and lots of leaves began to turn brown. I thought I'd had it as far as a good crop was concerned, but to my surprise I've had the best crop ever, with some beets getting to the size of a small grapefruit! (The seeds were Moles F1 Pablo)....

Hi TB. Fred was a lovely man who I got to know through mutual contacts and meeting at events. He was a great cook and did the BBQ at an annual fishing fund raising event for a children's charity, also supported by Chris Tarrant. One time I was standing with a group of anglers by a bookstall and rash...

We get a lot of maggies, pigeons, rooks and crows. An old fishing friend of mine, Fred Taylor, once told me how to tell rooks and crows apart. He said if you see a lot of crows together then they're rooks. If you see a rook on its own, then its a crow!

We're getting quite a lot of wildlife in the garden this summer, apart from the usual wild birds. A flock of parakeets pays a regular visit, as do a couple of squirrels, a fox and two pheasants - both cocks. (Gay pheasants?) Our son and his wife stayed one night recently en route to Gatwick, and sle...