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Q – I have planted a 30cm (12inch) aubergine in a sunny and sheltered corner of my allotment. I have read that they prefer a moist atmosphere, have I made a mistake?

Anne – No, that advice is for growing in a greenhouse, as they are susceptible to red spider mite.  Aubergines need heat and sunshine – as long as you keep it well watered.

Bunny – I worry that you’ve planted too late.  You need to start aubergines very early to get good quantities of produce.  Start off at the end of May.

Q – My Dahlias have made a splendid start to the season but the village show is about 9 weeks away – any tips to ensure I have prize-winning blooms on the day?

Bunny – They will go on and on as long as you deadhead and keep the slugs away.  Lots of food and water.   

Matthew – The really keen competitors will select four or five blooms on each plant, then whittle them down, and bag them the day before the event to protect the flower. 

Q – Last year the Students’ Union (at the University of Bedfordshire) was awarded funding towards sustainability projects on campus.  One of which was the Students Eats Project, which involves a campus allotment where students can grow their own vegetables.  What is a good beginner vegetable for our students to grow?

Bunny – ‘Cut and come’ lettuce.  Globe artichokes.  Chillies.  Courgettes.  Herbs (parsley, coriander, etc).  If you’ve got raised beds and good compost you’ll do well.

Matthew – Park a BBQ down there and when you’re cooking use the stuff around you.  Focus on what you would want to eat.  

Q – Earlier this year I seeded 150m2 (1614.5ft2) with a mix of annual and perennial wild flowers, they are currently being enjoyed by bees and butterflies.  Can the panel advise what I should do at the end of the season to prepare for a similar show of colour next year?

Bunny – You want to make it nutrient-poor – so cut it and remove the cuttings.  Do it in strips so you don’t leave the insects homeless.  And don’t do anything before the end of July. 

Matthew – Over-seed it with a plant called Yellow Rattle because it semi-parastises grasses and grass is your enemy in a meadow. 

Q – Can you identify what’s eating my peas?  It’s just a two-foot section in the middle of the row and the rest of it is growing well.

Anne – It looks like a snail to me – they find a favourite plant or area and they like to stick to it 

Eric – If you remove the snail you need to move it at least 20 yards (18 metres) from the site otherwise it will find its way back

Bunny – I’m not convinced – I think it’s something bigger like a hare or a badger, even.  If it is a snail try using mineralised straw mulch – they hate the iron that’s in it and won’t crawl over it.

Q – Can you use cat litter to deter snails?

Anne – Well, anything absorbent is going to stop a snail in its tracks, so it might.

Q – I struggle to grow celery on my allotment and the only one that I have grown (in a car tyre) is over 2m (6.5ft) tall.  How do I grow smaller celery?

Bunny – Celery likes a very moist soil – put it in a container with lots of water and then just pick it round the sides when it gets to the size you want.

Q – If the panel were to give a single, top-tip to a beginner rose grower what would it be?

Bunny – They do really thrive on a good, rich soil.  Add lots of organic matter.  When you put in a rose it doesn’t establish straight away – it can take three or four years to turn into a good bush.  My favourite rose for scent is a Banksia Rose.

Matthew – Make sure you give them enough space.  My favourite species rose is Rosa glauca, small pink flowers but beautiful pewter grey/dusty pink foliage.  For a modern rose go for Gertrude Jekyll.

Anne – For a Hybrid tea go for an Alec’s Red or a Madame Hardy

Q – I’m looking for top tips on what to do about Mare’s Tail?

Matthew – You can’t get rid of it.  You can reduce its vigour by excluding light (cardboard boxes over the top), but it has a strong rootstock and it will come back.  Best thing to do is plant other vigorous plants alongside it – like Japanese anemones or big-leaved Hostas like the Hosta sieboldiana – that will outcompete it.  

Bunny - You can get professional teams in that deal with Mare’s Tail and Knotweeds so it might be worth going down that route.

Topical Tips:

Matthew – if you’re going on holiday and you’ve got lots of pots spend a couple of quid (£30) on a little battery-operated, inline irrigation computer, plug it into your tap, run a bit of line out, put drippers into your pots, and you’re off.

Anne – If you eat lots of avocado pears and you’ve been putting the pips in the compost – look out for the stones because they often start to grow in a nice warm compost heap and if you find one that’s split and is shooting, you can pot it and it will grow into a nice little leafy houseplant. 

Bunny – Get a kitchen blackboard and write up what you’ve got in the garden to cook with so you don’t miss things.