Alan’s 6 top tips

1 CARROTS

‘Sow them thinly and don’t thin out the crop. If you pull out the smaller ones to let the others have room, it releases the fragrance of the carrot root and that’s a signal for carrot flies to home in!’

2 STRAWBERRIES

‘Strawberries are called “straw-berries” because you generally push straw underneath them!

This keeps them off the soil, so that slugs don’t get them. If you net them to keep birds off, please ensure the netting is impenetrable, otherwise birds can get trapped underneath.’

3 PEAS

‘You can grow peas even if you don’t have a lot of space, but they will need to clamber up something as this keeps their little tendrils off the ground. You can use canes and string, but I find that twiggy pea sticks are easier.’

4 TOMATOES

‘Tomatoes are happiest in Mediterranean countries, so I wouldn’t put them out until the very end of May when the ground’s warmed up.

Frost will kill tomato plant – they can literally go blue with cold.’

5 RASPBERRIES

‘Raspberries grow in canes and, generally, form single stems and grow upwards. There are two kinds – with summer fruiters, as soon as you pick the fruit, cut the cane down to the ground and the new growing canes will carry fruit next year. With autumn fruiters, cut the lot down to the ground in February.’

6 LETTUCE

‘There’s a temptation on the first sunny days in April and May to shoot out and sow a 20ft row of lettuce. But don’t sow too much – unless you’re a family of rabbits! Instead, sow a metre row every two weeks. Then you get a succession of cropping!’