Research carried out at Imperial College, London and funded by the British Heart Foundation now shows that eating broccoli could help prevent heart attacks and strokes. This staple green vegetable is rich in a chemical called sulforaphane, which has been found to boost the natural defence system that protects our arteries from disease. Other vegetables in the same ‘family’ also contain sulforaphane, although broccoli appears to have the highest concentration. See the special brassica seed collection in ‘Offers’.

Now that Monty no longer graces Gardener’s World, you can get your fix by having a copy of ‘The Ivington Diaries’ (Bloomsbury £25) on your bedside table. In this book, he draws on the gardening diaries he has written over the years, to create an informative and entertaining day by day account of the garden he and Sarah created from scratch.

I Couldn’t do Without – my gardening apron. Hung on the back of the door, it is ready to grab when I go outside. It saves on the laundry and unnecessary wear and tear that would otherwise ensue!

Plant early spring bulbs at three times the depth of the bulb.
Plant overwintering onions.
Sow hardy annuals like calendula and love in the mist outdoors or in pots in the greenhouse or cold frame.
Net your pond before the leaves begin to fall.
Liquid feed flowers and vegetables to extend the season.

The zinnias have outgrown the slugs and are providing brilliant posies for the table

Zinnias

The chillis are looking exceedingly cheerful in an old metal container

Chillis

Bishop of Llandaff dahlia is ubiquitous for a good reason – it’s gorgeous and the slugs don’t like the dark foliage

Dahlia

Dahlia Chimborazo is another favourite

Chimborazo

Geranium Rozanne has been flowering it socks off for months and shows little sign of slowing down

Geranium

Our ballerina apple tree (narrow, upright) has a huge crop of James Grieve apples ready for picking this weekend

Apples

It’s always a surprise when the autumn flowering crocus (colchicums) suddenly emerge.

Flowering crocus