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IT’S easy to create a productive herb garden using grow bags.

You can have thyme ready to harvest for lemon chicken dishes, parsley for soups and garnishes, and sage for scrumptious stuffing.

Chives are also excellent when added to omelettes, and then there’s basil for pasta and oregano for a delicious pizza topping.

Simply dig a hole in the grow bag, loosen the plant by giving the pot a squeeze with your fingers and plant it.

Position it so the soil in the grow bag remains level with the top of the soil of the plant and ensure you water the plants in.

Remember to trim the herbs so they continually produce, too– basil, oregano and parsley can get a bit leggy and drawn if they aren’t cropped regularly. Chillies and peppers grow really well in grow bags. Planting two in a bag will produce really big plants, but planting three will supply smaller versions as the plants are all competing for the same moisture, nutrients and water.

Alternatively, create a flowering grow bag by cutting a big rectangle out and planting geraniums, marigolds and begonias to form a flourishing feature of flowers.

This is a particularly good idea for children as it will enable them to plant, water and care for a selection of plants that they have chosen.

Not only will it teach them patience, but also how to nurture and connect with nature.

So there you have it – there are loads of different containers you can use, but grow bags in particular are versatile, affordable and will bring the maximum amount of joy to your planting plans.

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TRY beetroot, which will be ready to harvest in seven to 12 weeks, or spinach for a summer harvest.

You can also sow Brussels sprouts for your Christmas dinner. They’ll be ready to pick and store from September through to March.

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APPLY a moss treatment, wait for a week, then rake it over. Aerate the ground and add topsoil, if needed, then reseed with a variety that’s best suited for your soil type.

Eliminate shade in the area as much as possible and reduce the amount of watering you do.

The best non-chemical solution is scarification with a spring-tine rake.

I’D like to start growing some vegetables. Which ones can be sown in spring? Sow now, and beetroot could be ready to eat in as little as seven weeks

The top half of a plastic bottle makes a great mini-cloche

Chillis also do well in grow bags