CATEGORIES

A FOOD FOR ALL SEASONS

Another Christmas has passed in a whirl of twinkling lights, naff jumpers and Brussels sprouts. No doubt we smug kitchen gardeners were patting ourselves on the back after another year of home-grown delights on the dinner table. Frost-sweetened parsnips dripping with butter, tender carrots and potatoes grown and roasted by our good selves. Not to mention the swede, turnips, cabbages and other winter treats. If you're reading this while Christmas memories are fresh, you might feel your waistline expanding just thinking about it. For some, it might even be too soon to talk about food full stop!

DIGGING THE DIRT THINGS THAT GO CLUNK IN THE LIGHT

John Holloway finds the mechanical and electrical tools on his allotment site somewhat 'challenging', shall we say. But has he found the perfect solution?

THE BIG (OR LITTLE) PARSNIP GROW-ALONG

Back in December we included a free packet of parsnip seeds with every issue and invited readers to join us in growing the longest root. Here are some top tips to get you started

DIGGING FOR DEVON!

Rhiannon Alcock thought gardening was definitely not for her. So who could have foreseen that one day she would go on to found a thriving community project growing food for food banks?

WINTER WONDERFUL

This month Anna Cairns Pettigrew has prepped a range of delicious and nutritious dishes for us all to try, with mustards, Savoy cabbage and 'Cavolo Nero' kale on the menu

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR COMPOST

Dr Anton Rosenfeld from Garden Organic shares some great ideas for ways to use your composted waste effectively

A wildlife pond is born

Jane Kelly finally got round to making her own pond in the hope that it would attract a variety of wildlife. And it did!

UNDER COVER

HARVEST WINTER SALADS - Winter salads, whether they have been growing outside, on a windowsill or under cover in the garden, will be starting to grow faster as the day length increases. Regular picking of the outer leaves helps to keep the plants healthy and producing for much longer.

HERB OF THE MONTH: SAGE ADVICE

Sage has been an important culinary and medicinal herb for centuries but it also comes in a range of leaf colours that makes it a real treat for the eyes (and nose) in borders and pots

CREATING A POTAGER GARDEN

Creating vegetable beds in patterns with dividing pathways can be an attractive and practical way to grow. Emma Rawlings offers some tips on making a potager

SOW EASY

Are you ready for spring? It all starts with those seeds and the more we can do to improve germination rates, the better our chances for a bumper season. Benedict Vanheems offers some advice to help you up your sowing success

OUR TOP PLOTTERS

Last summer we launched a competition to find our Top Plotters, with the top three winning some great prizes and the chance to be featured in Kitchen Garden magazine this year. Here we meet our second-placed pair

SEPTEMBER SPECIALS

This month, with sweetcorn, figs and blackberries on the menu, Anna Cairns Pettigrew is not only serving up something sweet and something savoury, but all things scrumptious

FLAVOURSOME FRUIT AUTUMN RASPBERRIES

September - is it late summer or the start of autumn? David Patch ponders the question and says whatever the season, it's time to harvest autumn raspberries

SOW GREEN THIS AUTUMN

Covering the soil with a green manure in winter offers many benefits and this is a good time to sow hardy types, says KG editor Steve Ott

A HISTORICAL HAVEN OF FRUIT AND FLOWERS

KG's Martin Fish takes time out from his own plot to visit a walled garden in Lincolnshire which has been home to the same family for more than 400 years

RESTORING THE BALANCE

The phrase regenerative gardening is often heard in gardening circles, but what is it? Can it help you to grow better veg? Ecologist Becky Searle thinks so, and tells us why

WASTE NOT, WANT NOT

Garden Organic's Anton Rosenfeld shares his expertise on using compost made from green bin collections with handy tips on getting the right consistency and quality

Celebrating Organic September!

In this special section we bring you four great features aimed at improving your crops and allowing nature to thrive

SEEING RED

Do your tomatoes have a habit of remaining stubbornly green? Or perhaps you're lucky to enjoy lots of lovely fruits - just all at once. Either way, Benedict Vanheems is here with some top tips to ripen and process the nation's favourite summer staple

NEW KIDS ON THE BROCCOLI!

Rob Smith is talking broccoli this month with a review of the different types available and suggestions for some exciting new varieties to try

A NEW kitchen garden

Martin Fish is getting down to plenty of picking and planting on the garden veg plot, while Jill is rustling up something pepper-licking good!

OUR PLOTTER OF THE MONTH

Meet another of the 12 creative and talented gardeners selected as our Plotter of the Month winners last year. Why not make a note to enter our new competition? Details on page 25

QUESTION TIME

GOT A FRUIT OR VEG PROBLEM? ASK KG FOR HELP

PICK STRAWBERRIES - FOR HOME-GROWN FLAVOUR

When it comes to getting value for money and the best flavour, strawberries are hard to beat, says fruit expert David Patch

A GARDEN FOR EVERYONE!

This month Hannah Reid shares her experience of redesigning a garden for those with a range of disabilities and how it has benefited them

ROOM TO GROW

We meet Rhiannon Alcock from Devon, whose plot provides a place to relax and learn. It also inspired a wonderful community project growing produce for local food banks

Just how much food?

Top organic gardening influencer Huw Richards explains how to maximise the pickings from growing spaces big and small

PREDATORS ON YOUR PLOT

Garden Organic's Anton Rosenfeld explores the range of beneficial predators that you can encourage into your garden, keeping pests at bay

GIVE THEM A HELPING HAND

Some of our most popular crops come from much warmer climes and need a little extra TLC before being exposed to the UK's changeable conditions. Editor Steve Ott offers some top tips to help get them off to a great start