KEEPING IT UNDER WRAPS

Many of our most popular edibles will grow perfectly well outside in the open soil, so why go to the expense of buying a polytunnel? KG editor Steve Ott shares some advice

FAB FEB FLAVOURS

Delicious is the word for these dishy dishes from Anna Cairns Pettigrew, with rosemary, kale and lovely leeks the key ingredients

A TASTE OF Yorkshire honey

West Yorkshire police officer Richard Terry chats to gardening writer Sally Clifford about his busy pastime as a beekeeper

A CASTLE KITCHEN GARDEN

Anna Cairns Pettigrew travels to Fife to explore the grounds of 14th century Kellie Castle and in particular its magnificent walled kitchen garden

THE GARDEN ORCHARD

In this excerpt from his new book, fruit and permaculture enthusiast Wade Muggleton explains how even those of us with small gardens can grow fruit – and plenty of it!

SHOOTS TO savour

Freshly harvested asparagus is one of those tasty delicacies that heralds the start of the growing season and is one to truly relish. Emma Rawlings offers some tips on growing this special crop

LEARNING TO LET GO, naturally

Neatly cropped lawns and perfectly manicured borders are out. Natural gardening is in. And frankly, Becky Searle – for one – is relieved

Meeting the challenge

When Louise Price took on an allotment she was initially daunted by the enormous task that lay ahead. But more than 18 months on she has reaped the rewards for all her hard work

ROB'S PLOT SOWING AND A BIT OF TLC!

Rob Smith is busy again this month with more sowing, planting and making sure his existing plants are given a bit of a boost

Have garden, will travel

For Stephanie Hafferty it wasn’t just about moving house, it was about moving garden too, as she set off on a new no-dig gardening adventure in West Wales

Horatio's Garden, improving lives

Annabelle Padwick explains the work of a horticultural charity which, through gardening and related activities, aims to support those recovering from spinal injury

HOW TO AVOID A PLANT-ASTROPHE!

A plague on all our plants? Hopefully not, says David Patch, who this month offers some sound advice on how to keep our precious fruit crops free of pests and diseases

Future-proof your soil

Dr Anton Rosenfeld, knowledge officer of green charity Garden Organic, offers practical advice on how to make your soil more resilient, especially in the context of climate change

EXTENDING THE SEASON WITH POTATOES

Grow your own potatoes, says Martin Fish, and you’ll be spoilt for choice, with plenty of varieties to choose from to keep you in spuds all year round

Turn Up The Heat For Melons

Nothing shouts summer like a home-grown melon, yet they can be a challenge to grow in the UK climate. All the more reason to have a go, says KG editor, Steve Ott

PEAS PLEASE ME

Growing peas is a must for Rob Smith. Here’s his introduction to growing them, with top tips and some varieties you might like to try

Boost your BUGS

Gardens that are alive with bugs – whether beetles or bees – are healthy, beautiful places to be. They’re also more productive. Benedict Vanheems shares some simple tips to give bugs a boost this autumn and beyond

Flavourful Fruit For Creative Cooks

Much of fruit growing centres around the premise of eating the fruit fresh from the tree, but this month KG’s fruit expert David Patch turns his attention to fantastic flavours for the kitchen

FAMILY FYFE

Milly Fyfe lives on a farm in Northamptonshire with her two sons, Angus and Dougie, and husband Andrew. As well as tending to 100 suckler beef cows, 300 breeding ewes, 350ha of land for arable production plus chickens and pigs, the family also maintain a walled garden where they grow fruit, vegetables and flowers.

JUST ASK PIPPA!

After training as a botanist and gaining her MSc in Crop Protection, Pippa Greenwood spent 11 years in charge of the RHS Wisley plant pathology department. She is the author of countless best-selling books and is a long-standing voice on BBC 4 Gardeners’ Question Time. Here she talks with Daniel Heighes

Go Go Go october

It might not be the height of the growing season but Stephanie Hafferty is still very busy with garlic, green manures, mulching and making a new compost heap using pallets

POWER OF THE Pumpkin

Pumpkins are soon ready to harvest and with October 26 being National Pumpkin Day, Annabelle Padwick decided to focus on this autumnal beauty

Spoilt For Choices With Cherries

Who would have known there are so many varieties of cherry, each a delicious nugget of tangy sweetness? Fruit expert David Patch knows... and here are his top picks

A Future Garden With Roots In The Past

Garden Organic, the national horticultural charity, has opened the doors on a new organic demonstration and learning garden. We take a tour with head gardener Emma O’Neill

OUR PLOTTEER OF THE MONTH

Last year we officially launched a competition to find 12 readers and their plots that would feature in Kitchen Garden magazine this year. Here we feature another of our talented winners

THE PILGRIM PLOTTERS

Martin Fish visits Boston in Lincolnshire, with its historic links to the Pilgrim Fathers, and finds a thriving community of growers with a concern for health and well-being at its core

TIME TO GET HERB SAVVY!

Why spend money on dried herbs when you can dry your own? Julie Moore shows you how

Rooting for liquorice

With its distinctive flavour, liquorice is one of those tastes you either love or hate. It comes from the root of a Middle Eastern herb called Glycyrrhiza glabra and Emma Rawlings explains how to grow it

A TASTE OF EASTERN PROMISE

The summer might be coming to an end, says Rob Smith, but there’s still time for some sowing, including a range of oriental veg

FRENCH PERFECTION!

Harvesting beans of all sorts is one of the joys of summer, but none are easier to grow, faster to crop or more abundant than French beans – so says KG editor Steve Ott