Welcome

If gardeners were Olympic sprinters we’d be in the starting blocks ready to go or rather sow

TOP JOBS FOR MARCH

STEPHANIE HAFFERTY OUTLINES THE ESSENTIAL TASKS FOR YOUR VEG PATCH AND PROTECTED CROPS

UNDER COVER

PROTECT SEEDLINGS IN COLD WEATHER March is a month with very unpredictable weather.

HAVE YOUR SAY

CONTACT US WITH YOUR LETTERS AND TIPS: TFLANAGAN@MORTONS.CO.UK

QUESTION TIME

GOT A FRUIT OR VEG PROBLEM? ASK KG FOR HELP

PRODUCTIVE PLOT

Last summer we launched a competition to find our Top Plotters, with the top three winning some great prizes and the chance to be featured in Kitchen Garden magazine this year. Here we meet our third-placed winner

THE PRIZES

TOP THREE WINNERS get a Spear & Jackson

NEXT MONTH

IN YOUR APRIL ISSUE OF KITCHEN GARDEN MAGAZINE

DIGGING THE DIRT NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

Every allotment site needs its own superhero and, luckily for John Holloway and his fellow allotmenteers, Sailor Steve came to the rescue

ON THE PLOT WITH THE 3 Mudketeers

WISE WORDS “Many things grow in the garden that were never sown there"

GROW WITH BELLE

DESIGN YOUR OWN VEGETABLE PATCH

KNOW YOUR FERTILISERS

DIGGING DEEPER IN DEPTH -GARDENING

ONIONS, GARLIC & SHALLOTS

BEYOND THE PLOT

SUPER SQUASHES

Every garden should make space for squashes but with so many to choose from and so many ways to grow them, where to begin? Benedict Vanheems gets us started

HOW TO START SQUASHES (STEP-BY-STEP)

Sow the seeds in small pots or cell/plug trays

SORT YOUR SUPPORTS

Trailing squashes can be supported in several ways

RECOMMENDED VARIETIES

Some varieties worth a try on your plot

MEET THE BLOGGER- MY COTTAGE GARDEN

Inspired by her grandfather, Instagrammer Sarah Pursey from Northamptonshire shares her passion for growing veg and flowers in her long back garden, a throwback to the 1930s

KOHL RABI GROWING GUIDE

Kohl rabi is a versatile, tasty summer and autumn veg that can be eaten raw or cooked. Here are our tips to make your harvest a success

FANTASTIC FIELD BEANS!

Garden Organic’s Anton Rosenfeld extols the virtues of the field bean and explains how and why we should grow lots more of this relative of the broad bean

REVEALING THE MAGIC

This month we’re off to Worcestershire to the Walled Gardens of Croome Court. Once sadly neglected they have now been lovingly restored, revealing treasures old and new

MAKE ROOM FOR CABBAGE

Our humble cabbage is a powerhouse of goodness and we could all benefit from eating more of it. KG deputy editor Emma Rawlings offers tips on growing this popular brassica

HOW TO MAP THE SUN AND SHADE

Sunlight is one of the key requirements for photosynthesis and the warmth that it brings encourages optimum growth rate and yields. However, some edibles find excessive levels of heat and sunshine difficult to cope with, so understanding where this falls in your garden is key to gaining good harvests

In the right spot

Here we feature an extract from the new RHS book Grow Food Anywhere by Lucy Chamberlain, which is all about putting the right crops in the right place

SWEET DREMS ARE MADE OF THESE

Instagrammer Olga Grieves is passionate about growing sweet peas. This month she shares her favourite varieties and explains how to create a stunning display

GET PLANNING!

As much as we love to get going straightaway on our veg patch or allotment it’s always good to start with a plan, as Becky Searle explains

HERB OF THE MONTH MINT

With its strong flavour, distinctive aroma and its versatility, mint has to be one of the best herbs to have outside your back door, ready for you to pick from spring through to autumn

Bio-stimulant or plant food: What’s the difference?

Angharad James , product manager at Maxicrop, explains the difference between a biostimulant and plant fertiliser, and discusses which to choose when for a thriving garden

POTTY ABOUT STRAWBERRIES

This month David Patch turns his attention to growing succulent strawberries in pots, offering useful practical tips and recommendations for some choice varieties

LET’S get sowing

PRODUCT REVIEW

ENJOY YOUR FREE SEEDS

Variety is the key word this month with wild rocket ‘Wild Fire’, cucumber ‘Marketmore 76’, and leek ‘Musselburgh’ seeds all included. Here is some growing advice to get the best out of your plants

READER OFFERS

EXCLUSIVE SAVINGS TO HELP MAKE YOUR MONEY GO FURTHER

GIVEAWAYS

WORTH OVER £939

GARDEN STORE PLUS SUBSCRIBER SAVERS*

Are you a subscriber to Kitchen Garden magazine? Then visit www.mudketeers.co.uk for details of how you can take advantage of the exclusive subscriber-only deals on these pages!

MARCH MARVELS

More mouthwatering dishes from KG chef Anna Cairns Pettigrew with leeks, turnips and Brussels sprouts on this month's menu