Cabbage Flea Beetle has damaged the purple sprouting broccoli which has been growing in the garden over the winter.

The larvae of the Cabbage Flea Beetle have burrowed into the leaf stalks and the main stem of the broccoli. The plants have become weak and the leaves are loosing their colour.

The larvae left the plants when they pupated and have dropped into the soil. They will stay there until they hatch out into flea beetles and start to feed on this summer’s crops!

Click here for more information on cabbage flea beetle, the damage it causes to seedlings, and possible methods of control.

Some vegetable gardeners are concerned about their seed potatoes which are developing long chits.

Seed potatoes want to be put in as cool a place as possible with plenty of light. If the seed is on a windowsill, the sun may be coming through the window & heating the space up, or the room may be too dark.

If possible put the seed outside, under glass, in a light place. Bring them in at night if it looks like a frost.

They need a lot of light, but a very cool temperature!

What are Borlotti Beans?

• Borlotti Beans are a classic Italian bean and are also known as Roman, Cranberry, Saluggia or Rosecoco beans
• beans are plump
• variegated, pinkish red splodges on white, (once cooked, the speckled markings disappear) Read More »

Vegetable seeds can be sown in cold frames to extend the season and get earlier planting. Read More »

A vegetable patch is what everyone wants now and can add thousands to the value of a house.

The Times gardening experts discuss how to make the most of a garden to increase the sales value of a house in an article:

How to refresh your garden and add £50,000 to your home

The benefits of an unlimited supply of home-grown vegetables are widely known. It is only logical that a well kept vegetable garden will add value to a house.

The ten most essential tools for vegetable gardening are:

• spade
• fork
• trowel Read More »

Planning the vegetable garden involves deciding which vegetables to grow, and then choosing an appropriate variety of seed.

There are many varieties of each vegetable.

Carrots, for example have different characters depending on variety, such as: Read More »

Four easy lots of vegetable seeds for the new gardener to grow are:

Radish - French Breakfast

• sow from March to July
• 1cm deep very thinly
• thin plants to 5cm apart within the row
• may be ready in 5 weeks

Carrots Read More »

Potato seed has been deposited in the Svalbard Global Seed Bank - not the immature tubers planted by vegetable gardeners, but true seed produced by potato flowers.

When The Svalbard Global Seed Bank was opened at the end of February, Jim Godfrey, Chair of the International Potato Centre, was present.

Click on the image to enlarge the photo, which shows Jim carrying true seed potatoes into the vault, from the International Potato Centre in Lima.

Read More »

Growing perennial vegetables provides food from the garden for several seasons, with little maintenance.

Perennial vegetables include

• rhubarb

Read More »