Mark Diacono, head gardener at River Cottage HQ, says ‘don’t waste space on potatoes and onions that you can buy easily and cheaply. Grow stuff you can't buy, that will add a buzz to your cooking’.

(Read the article in last Saturdays Independent about Mark and his small holding. See links)

River Cottage hold lots of events, as well as their Friday night meal, (which I can highly recommend) and last year I attended an event called Get Growing In Spring.

Here Mark also spoke about growing plants which are expensive in the shops and he recommends growing at least one new vegetable a year, that you have never tried before.

This week I have cut my first cucumber. I had high hopes of a taste sensation but instead I got exactly the same flavour as a cucumber I could have bought from the supermarket. It wasn’t a named variety, so maybe I need to do some research and find a cucumber which is a bit more special.

As far as the environment is concerned, it’s much better to grow your own but when you have a limited amount of growing space, you need to be more choosey about the type and variety of vegetables you are growing.

The ubiquious courgette is a vegetable, which you feel if you don’t grow, your plot just won’t be complete without but in no time at all, you have a glut and they just sit in the fridge, until you can decide what to do with them. Plus the plants are so big you have to wonder are they worth growing?

I am a big fan of Hugh Fearnly-Whittingstall and have visited River Cottage HQ, in West Dorset many times. I even appeared on his programme, trying to tell the difference between wild and farmed duck, which I couldn’t, both were equally as delicious.

This Saturday, we are off to watch a cricket match between the River Cottage team and the Gardeners’ World team, down in Devon. With the promise of a glass of Elderflower sparkling wine on arrival, cream teas and all the proceeds going to Thrive, a charity which promotes and encourages gardening for people with disabilites, I am really looking forward to a fun afternoons entertainment.

If you are interested in going, see the details on the River Cottage Website. (See link)

The recent showers have not only refreshed the garden but its also dampened the pollen. My hayfever has been the worst it has ever been, with my eyes (actually one eye to be precise) streaming constantly.

Hopefully the rain we are promised for the rest of the week, will keep the pollen at bay, so I can have a tear free and puffy eyed afternoon, which isn’t a good look on anyone!