成人快手

Peter Horrocks on carrot tops and courgettes

Post categories: question

Peter Horrocks | 07:30 UK time, Friday, 18 June 2010

Peter Horrocks, an allotment expert with the answers your questions about eating carrot tops and training courgettes. If you have a similar story to share, you can add your comments at the bottom of this entry. You need to register first, which only takes two minutes.

Jane Cope from Gravesend asks: Can you eat carrot tops? It seems a shame to waste them.

Answer: New one on me Jane, they're supposed to be very bitter, feed them to somebody's rabbits!

Sheila Akhurst from City Garden asks: As I have only have a small space to grow courgettes, is it possible to train these up supports or are they best left to run across the soil?

Answer: You'd need substantial supports but would it gain you anything? They don't really take up any more space flat than suspended, they're not like marrows!

Richard from Portsmouth asks: Growing in open ground, when courgettes have formed and are laying on the soil do I have to protect them from insects and the like?

Answer: I always try and place some rigid thin plastic sheets below the fruits to keep them clean, recycled meat trays or similar placed upside down so as not to trap the rain (if we ever get any) will do but straw would do as well although it might harbour slugs etc.

If anyone else has had similar with growing the Dig In veg, add your comments below.

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The Dig In campaign has finished now. Thanks to everyone who took part in the campaign throughout 2009 and 2010. We hope you enjoyed growing the Dig In seeds, especially those of you who are new to growing vegetables. This site is no longer being updated, but it is still packed full of useful information about growing veg.

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Expert authors

Our video expert is Blue Peter gardener Chris Collins. He's a qualified horticulturalist and award-winning gardener, who's presented shows on everything from allotments to Chelsea - . He loves sharing his experience with growers old and new!

Gareth Austin is resident gardening expert with 成人快手 Radio Foyle and lectures in horticulture in Northern Ireland. Gareth has made it a prority to encourage gardeners throughout Northern Ireland to 'reclaim the space' and start growing vegetables in any area they can find.

Maria del Carmen Casarrubios is a tutor and practical instructor at , Regent's Park. She trained at Capel Manor and Writtle College in Amenity Horticulture and has 20 years' experience of working with plants. Sally Smith

Sally Smith is a freelance gardening researcher and lecturer. She headed the advisory team at Garden Organic for many years. Pest and disease control by organic means is her speciality, Sally says: "Managing your soil is key to solving nearly all gardening problems, look after your compost heap, it's your most important asset." Sally Smith

Brendan Little trained at and . Brendan runs organic gardening courses, works as a garden designer and is in the 成人快手 Radio Ulster Gardeners' Corner team." Sally Smith

Karen Kenny is the Eastern Region Rep for the National Society of Allotment & Leisure Gardeners as well as on the management team of Suffolk and Ipswich allotments where she runs a site. Karen is also an accomplished lecturer on most gardening subjects, including allotments.

Peter Horrocks has an allotment in Newcastle. He's the regional rep for the in the North of England & Scotland, the secretary of the Newcastle Allotments Working Group. Plus, Peter is secretary of a ten-acre allotments site in Newcastle, considered by many to be one of the best in the city.

Ben Raskin is an advisor with the , as well as helping to run 22 acres of organic vegetables. With over 16 years of horticultural experience, including running market gardens and working at the Welsh College of Horticulture, he's an expert on organic matters.

Beechgrove Potting Shed is Radio Scotland's top gardening show, giving tips and advice to Scottish gardeners - and the odd Dig In grower - every Sunday.

Zoe tends the Dig In website. When she's not in the office you'll find her gardening on Hampstead Heath and in Regents Park.

Ann "Dig In" Kelly looked after the blog from day to day until May 2010. Bitten by the gardening bug a few years ago, she has progressed from a few growbags to a great big polytunnel. She hates slugs.