It's very simple to grow your own potatoes. It doesn't take much effort and you don't need much space. You can even grow them in a bag ..read more

Watercress is a peppery and nutritious addition to summer salads and other recipes, and really easy to grow. However you use it, you wont get a better taste than if you've grown it yourself and just picked it moments before eating, so have a go at growing your own this summer. You can sow it right now. I thought I'd share with you how I'm growing mine this year, in recycled guttering on my garden fence!   ..read more

Having fresh herbs outside the back door is easy and convenient. Mint dies down in winter but is now growing strongly again. But if you grew some in a pot last year you will almost certainly see that it is now growing mainly around the rim of the pot, not in the middle where you planted it. This seems strange but gives you the chance to propagate extra plants, and it only takes a few minutes ..read more

Here's a fabulous way to get the kids running around the garden this Easter weekend.   An Easter Egg Hunt in the garden is great fun whether you are taking part, or following them around with the video camera.  It's really easy to do. All you need is some chocolate eggs and a pen and paper. I've even written some ready made clues you can use ..read more

There are hundreds of varieties of sweet pea  Sweet peas are a must for your garden. Easy to grow, they bring colour and fragrance to the garden in summer, and make great cut flowers, so you can enjoy that fragrance indoors too. In fact the more you cut them, the more flowers they produce. But there are so many varieties, how do you choose which ones to grow ..read more

It doesn't need to be complicated, but it's worth planning your vegetable garden or allotment for the year. It doesn't take long either. Want to see how I did mine ..read more

Why do beans have poles and peas have sticks? Does it matter? I need both. On the 80 Minute Allotment, I prefer quick and simple ways to support my climbing beans and peas instead of elaborate and costly structures. Here's how to make simple and inexpensive supports in just a few minutes ..read more

Growing your own raspberries is a great idea for those of us with restricted space (they grow vertically) and limited time (they're pretty low maintenance), making them ideal for The 80 Minute Allotment! Get them in the ground now and you could be picking fruit later this year ..read more

It's time to plant onions at the 80 Minute Allotment. After a couple of weeks of terrible weather kept me away from the plot, it was nice to get back on the allotment this week, and even nicer to be able to get something in the ground. My first planting of the year is onions, one of the easiest things to grow ..read more

As winter turns to spring, perennial plants start to produce new growth, which means it's time to cut down what's left of last year's dead stems and seed heads. But what do you do with them all?  ..read more