Wouldn’t it be great though if instead of having to sow fresh seeds each year you just waited for the plant to come up and produce food for you? You are probably getting interested now – particularly if you have limited space and time. You heard right plant once and crop for ever!

Of course fruit trees and bushes fall in to this category – but here we look at two plants that are easy to grow, require very little maintenance and will just keep going!

First up is rhubarb.

I have just been given a couple of portions of root from a friend who has split their existing plants. Splitting them every few years helps to keep the fresh and strong. So splitting them has two benefits, firstly they help keep the plants healthy but also provide an opportunity to give plants away. If you start now then in a couple of years you too can give a piece of root away to someone else to have a go! Rhubarb can be grown naturally or many people force them under special clocheswhich helps blanche the stems. Picking is easy simply pull the stalk away from the base when it is ready to eat. Take care to discard the leaves to the compost as they are poisonous and shouldn’t be eaten.

I am not a fan of the texture of rhubarb personally but I do like the flavour! My favourite recipe simply involves cutting the stem in to inch long chunks and simmering for a few minutes until reduced to a soft texture. Adding banana helps soften the flavour a little, and add honey as a sweetener. Blend with some custard and chill in the fridge.

Secondly is root artichoke

 - again this is a plant once crop for ever vegetable. Jerusalem artichokes have an added bonus of producing tall sunflower like blooms. Best planted towards the back of a border. A neighbour kindly left a bag of their split out stock and in a couple of years you will be able to as well ( not to me – I already have some!) These are a root vegetable resembling a rather knobbly potato and they have a sweet flavour that combines well with potato. Be warned though! These are often referred to as f**tichokes for good reason!

The joy of both these plants is that they easily combine with a regular flower borderwhilst producing food at the same time – a real bonus! Anyone feeling even more adventurous can also try globe artichokes which are a real treat – if slightly messy, to eat! The plants are very architectural and make quite a statement so make sure you have plenty of room for these beauties.

So for food crops that don’t need an allotment or green fingers why not try rhubarb and artichoke and add some variety to your kitchen dinner table. You’ll be amazed at what you can achieve!

Blanche Surman, Affinity Marketing Executive at NFU Mutual comments, “We are thrilled to become official insurance providers of the Garden Network. NFU Mutual recognises the need to play an active part in community life and reach out to country-based groups and organisations like this one. We hope that Garden Network members will find the relationship of real benefit.

Tim Matcham, Director, the Garden Network said, ”The Garden Network is very pleased to be working with NFU Mutual to provide comprehensive home, garden and other insurances to the Garden Network members. “Regardless of location, country or city, NFU Mutual can provide the same excellent coverage. NFU Mutual is well respected, has a proud heritage and is able to deliver the quality insurances and service that Garden Network members and supporters expect. Our association is all the more exciting because we share the same values of excellence and environmental concerns.”

Such great news for the Garden Network – the network that is growing places!

But what if situations, not too far removed from this, existed on our doorstep. How would we react then?

Food Inc. may not be the next Hollywood blockbuster, but it has already been hailed as one of the top 10 most important documentaries ever made and it has received an Academy Nomination. That is quite an accolade! It is an expose on the American food system, highlighting the fast food attitude that first hit America with chains like McDonald’s but which now sees such a phenomenon worldwide.

In order to meet global food demand, large companies are dominating the way farmers are having to produce food, using more fertiliser and pesticides in order to increase production. The problem with all of this is that it is leading to more and more unhealthy food, new strains of deadly bacteria are forming – with lethal consequences. The conditions that animals are being kept, reared and slaughtered are truly disgusting – a kind of American Mumbai for animals (and the human ‘farm’ workers).

The problem is not isolated to meat production, wheat, corn, fruit and vegetables come under similar scrutiny. Vast swathes of America are becoming dust bowls incapable of supporting any form of living organism without a constant application of expensive fertilisers and crop control. The distance food travels to reach our plate is also staggering as supermarkets do away with seasons and make all foods available all year-round meaning food travels many miles to reach your table. The cost is huge and is of global significance particularly as much of this food movement relies heavily on oil prices and oil availability.

Ah but we are in the UK I hear you say, not Mumbai or America, food production in this country isn’t like that! Sorry but we are now part of a global food economy. There are fast food outlets on every street corner and they control the way we eat and how the food is produced!

Now this isn’t aimed at scaremongering it is simply drawing attention to something that the food production companies and governments would rather you didn’t know about.

As an individual you may think you have no power to make any sort of change – but pressure of a similar nature has completely changed the face of the tobacco industry after attention was brought to the public attention about their practices. You and your families have the right to vote three times a day on what you choose to eat. That’s pretty significant and something that food companies will take notice of!

There is plenty else you can do to, firstly go and see the film yourself – take your family but be warned it is PG rated for a reason. Secondly follow some or all of the tips provided by the Soil Association.

One of those tips is to plant a garden with your own fruit and veg (even a small one). If you are new to gardening and need help there is plenty available. You can join the Garden Network for ongoing help, support and advice, join Garden Organic’s One Pot Pledge campaign and join the Soil Association and get their book Stuffed which has plenty of ideas for change.

You can make a difference particularly when you see the damage that food production is doing to the world. As a garden designer and gardener I am keen to promote this. I will openly admit that as a family of 6 with both husband and wife working we certainly have many changes to make and that isn’t going to be easy!

I recently ran a garden question and answers session in the local pub – I was encouraged that many of the questions related to growing your own and at least a couple of people were sufficiently enthused to give growing their own a go.

So please, take the time to at least find out about the issues, and perhaps do something positive that will save the human and animal tragedy that could very easily be closer to home than we might imagine.

First up was Coblands Nursery – I had the pleasure of visiting the Nursery in Kent last summer so it was great to catch up with Nigel Gibson again. They offer both commercial and retail outlets for their plants but were displaying a range from their Best4plants range which is an online garden centre, I guess in some way rivalling Crocus.

Presnting their range of ‘larger than usual’ bulbs were Avon bulbs, I think what appeals here is that the bulbs are UK grown, not, as so many are, from Holland or Europe. If you are looking for great spring and summer flowering bulbs this site is well worth a visit. They have won numerous RHS Gold Medals for their show exhibits over the years. As a little thank you visitors were presented with a pack of Gladiolous callianthus

I am really looking forward to trying these, having first seen them a few years ago when they were known as Acidanthera murielae!

Celebrating 50 years were the Beth Chatto gardens and it was great to see some of the team buzzing with enthusiasm and interested as ever, I have the gardens in Essex high on my list of gardens to visit.

There were a couple of interesting seed merchants there. Worthy of note were Harrod Horticultural with their range of Stephanie’s (Harrod) Kitchen Garden Organic Seeds and Thompson and Morgan for their wide range of seeds and plant plugs. Perhaps the most interesting thing particularly if you are new to growing your own is a range from Unwins called Gro-sure which come with a guarantee of successful results. There were of course many others!

Many of the stands had interesting organic or eco-friendly products on display including Vitax with some organic slug pellets fetchingly called Slug Death XL - no guesses as to what that does then!

The award for the Best Overall Stand at the event though went to a company called Carbon Gold. This is an innovative company formed by Craig Sams – who also started Green & Blacks Chocolate. A quote from their website

“Biochar offers a fresh solution to the challenge of climate change. Carbon Gold is developing a portfolio of projects that uses the latest technology to turn surplus biomass into biochar – a form of fine-grained charcoal that is high in carbon and largely resistant to decomposition.

Biochar offers a unique tool to combat global warming because it can capture the carbon dioxide that has been absorbed by growing plants and tie it up in the soil for hundreds of years, so preventing it re-entering the carbon cycle.

Biochar also increases soil productivity, retains moisture and reduces nutrient leaching, thus reducing the need for irrigation and artificial or organic fertilisers. Unlike charcoal, biochar can be sourced from various types of biomass, typically from surplus agricultural materials, such as crop residues, tree prunings and agro-processing by-products.”

This certainly seemed an amazing product and it will be interesting to follow its progress in the market, we shall see just what impact it can have.

There were of course tools and machinery on display and all sorts of novelties, like Backdoorshoes – which take on from where Crocs left off!

One thing I found which was particularly interesting as a garden designer was a publication on the Husqvarna stand which had analysed the many ‘garden blogs’ from around the world and had identified the most prevalent topics of discussion, surmising that these were likely to be the styles and trends most reflected in the corners of the globe – it makes fascinating reading and perhaps I’ll find a way to share some of its contents here.

Still on the design theme Vectorworks were showing their new Vectorworks 2010 software. I use an earlier version and recently reviewed Tamsin Slatter’s book on the subject. They are certainly forging ahead with developments and it is now justifiably regarded as the number one CAD software for garden designers. Like so many software packages it is a vast programme, but the backup and support available makes learning a pleasurable experience.

An interesting show and one that I could easily have spent another day at and still not spoken to everyone! Here’s to next year!

The first thing I do is to soak the seeds for a couple of days. Add them to a saucer of warm water and sit them on the window sill. This helps them to germinate quickly.

Once they have soaked I then place them in one of my simple recycled newspaper plant pots. make a small impression in the compost with a pencil so that you don’t damage the seed then cover over with compost. Make sure the compost is moist without being wet. Best to water the pots from the base rather than the top as this will encourage root growth.

Your paper pots can be stood in a plastic container or in recycled yoghurt pots. Tie them together loosely with garden twine or string to keep them together.

Tip:- if you have a Phormium (New Zealand flax) try tearing a leaf length ways in to long strips – this can then be used as twine!

You should see the new shoots appearing within about 7 days.

For a longer season sow some of your packet now and then wait a few weeks before planting a few more and so on. The seedlings need to be kept warm and shouldn’t be planted out until the weather is a warmer and we have had the last frost.

Note this can also be used for peas and other garden vegetables. Sweet pea seeds are harmful though and you should was your hands after handling them.

Now all we need to do is wait and watch – ready for the next stage in creating great seedlings – more to follow!

For this simple exercise you will need:-

• sheets of newspaper – use a tabloid sheet folded in half
• a cardboard tube – an old toilet roll
• a pair of scissors

Take the newspaper and roll it tightly round the cardboard tube

I went with my Garden Network hat on – not really knowing what to expect! Here is my first take on the event – there were 63 stands in total so I won’t be able to cover off everyone but these are some of the innovations that caught my eye.

The recurrent theme on many of the stands was, encouragingly, growing your own and organic gardening.

First up came the Vitogrow

 from Greenhouse Sensation – this was one of a number of products that was encouraging us to all grow your own food and combined a good-looking container which self watered the plants! A simple idea that means your crop won’t dry out – so if, like me you don’t remember to water your containers as regularly as you might, then this might just be what you are looking for! The pack comes with suitable nutrients and instructions. They also offer advice and a guarantee of success. They also had on show a solar-powered device for growing plants without soil – known as hydroponic – the power simply recirculates a nutrient rich solution over the roots.

Another ingenious product came in the form of a Polanter – best described as a holey drain pipe with a leaky pipe through the middle!

Again aimed at minimising water loss during the watering process and encouraging us to grow plants including fruit and veg. It attaches to a wall and performs a similar function to a hanging basket. Watering is simple, straightforward and uses minimal water. Simply attach a hose to the water inlet at the base and wait until a few drips appear.

There were some other great products from Access Garden Products

and Forest Garden again on the Grow your own theme,

These include small greenhouses and cold frames suitable for even small gardens.

These all tie in very nicely with Garden Organic’s new campaign called One Pot Pledge - aimed at getting enthusiastic gardeners to encourage a friend to try growing an edible plant for the first time and acting as a Gardening Guru to help them with their new experience. I have signed up to this and would be delighted to help anyone who is venturing out for the first time. I’m starting off with a Question and answer session at The Neston Country Inn on 11th February 2010 – I’d love you to come and join in for some fun! Contact me if you would like more details.

I’ll be adding my thoughts on other aspects of the show soon.

In a sustainable woodland culture the leaves from the trees fall to the ground where they break down slowly to form a lush carpet of water retentive organic material, harbouring all manner of beneficial activity which stimulates the natural environment.

In most gardens we don’t want the whole garden covered in leaves decaying slowly, so we can collect them up – storing them in a large pile ready for re-distribution once the breaking down process is complete, thus mirroring the natures own efforts. When clearing the leaves don’t be too particular – a light scattering on the grass will soon be taken down by worms and help with the health of your lawn. Be sure to leave plenty under shrubs and hedges too for creating a natural winter habitat for creatures like hedghogs.

Once collected, the leaves can be left to do their own thing. I keep them separate from general compost as the method of decomposition is quite different. Compost, which is high in nitrogen breaks down aerobically with the action of bacteria. Leaves by contrats which are predominantly carbon break down significantly slower, anaerobically.

Leaves collected ready for breaking down

Leaf mould is low in nutrients but is an excellent soil ameliorant. It promotes water retention meaning less need to water and also with worm activity promoting healthy soild for your prize plants. Leaf mould is one of natures very best free gifts and now is the time to be collecting them up to make use of this wonderful sustainable resource

Masses of chillies follow the small white flowers

They get watered with whatever cold tea is left in the pot! The plants have masses of flowers followed by small fruits that point skyward. They start green and slowly turn bright red.

The best bit though is in the eating! Being in the kitchen they are easy to crop and put straight in to whatever dish is being prepared. As a succour for spicy food this is quite often in my case. The fresh zingy spice is so far removed from any shop bought specimen that may have travelled many miles to reach your plate. These are in a totally different league and all the more enjoyable for it.

Even if the weather is not so good – I’m enjoying a ‘hot’ summer!

Sure enough they germinated quite well and started to grow – then work got in the way and I spent less time than perhaps I should looking after my little seedlings. Nature would help me out of course and they would naturally grow and produce my crop. Well they did start to grow and they were enjoyed – just not by me or my family! As these seedlings forged a way in the world they became increasingly attractive to the slug and snail population. Clearly my garden is the place to hang out for these little darlings and sure enough they have done a great job of reducing everything to a few shreds! Oh well!

All is not lost however as I didn’t plant all my seeds together – taking my own advice I have sown in succession – not quite as regularly as suggested but have taken some steps to try and reduce the impact of the slithering devils that seek to wreck my enjoyment. I am hoping also that my youngest sons attempts at introducing frogs in to the garden may also be useful in my battle.

The plants that I have sown indoors are so far exempt from such onslaught and are doing just fine – except that my wife isn’t too keen on the terracotta pot on the kitchen windowsill. These beauties are the Chili Demon Red and are just showing the first signs of producing flowers – so that is really exciting!