The bank holiday weekend was wall to wall gardening. Saturday was a trip to Chettle House craft and garden fair. The weather wasn’t very favourable, but it didn’t stop my parents, my friend Jo and I from having a lovely time.

Two of my favourite local growers were there, Parks Perennials from Wallisdown and Hilltop Garden & Nursery of Stour Provost. Parks Perennials attend most of the local garden shows and you can visit their nursery, which is situated at 242 Wallisdown Road, just past the Kings Arms Pub.

They have a sign outside their house, which indicates if they are open and if bearded irises are your passion, then pay them a visit as they have a gorgeous selection.

Hilltop Garden & Nursery at Stour Provost are open every Thursday 10am – 6pm from March to August.

Their garden is also open at the same time and I absolutely love it. I have visited many times over the years, on their NGS open days and I will be returning during August to photograph for the NGS, when the Dahlias are out, well worth a visit!

On the subject of NGS gardens, I recently visited a wonderful garden on the edge of the New Forest in Bartley called Aviemore.

Alex and Sandy Robinson opened their garden for the NGS for the first time and although not one of the biggest NGS gardens with the plot being 200 feet long, it has been designed so that you don’t see the whole of the garden from the bungalow.

As well as perennials and shrubs and a pretty stream at the end of the garden, they have a productive and very attractive vegetable plot.

The garden is open again on 6 June from 2 – 6 and I can personally recommend the chocolate cake.

I have been very busy in my vegetable plot. I have dug up the purple sprouting broccoli with the realisation that I grew far too much.

I just couldn’t harvest it quick enough. I am going to sow some more next weekend, 3 plants will be plenty but I’ll sow some extra just in case.

Once the plants were chopped up and on the compost heap, I had to add some nourishment to the soil in the form of mushroom compost. It’s cheap and cheerful and adds bulk to my poor sandy soil.

It’s very exciting planting out a new crop and in this vacant space I have planted three together making a ‘three Sisters bed’.

This method, first used by the women of the Iroquois tribe, would consist of three seeds being planted next to each other.

Firstly maize, then two weeks after bean followed by squash. The sweet corn grows and the beans use it to climb up, whilst the squash scramble along the ground suppressing the weeds.

I haven’t followed the rules entirely, to my detriment and instead of planting the seeds in the ground, I started them off in modules all at the same time.

Unfortunately this means that the climbing french beans are twice the size of the sweet corn.

Nevertheless, I have planted them next to each other, hoping that the sweet corn will put on a mad spurt.

The tomatoes are now living in the greenhouse, along with chillies and peppers. It really is a great feeling, growing edible plants from seed and knowing you will be able to have a feast from them in a matter of weeks.

I made an application to Poole council, to go onto the waiting list for a local allotment, only to be advised that the waiting list is long and to expect to wait 10 years plus!

All the more reason for making the most of the space you have got already, whether it be a back garden, patio or balcony.

Even if you just have the space to grow the lettuce for your salad, it’s well worth the effort!