This year we focus on the wonders of the kitchen garden, growing a polyculture of plants to create a living space that is edible, useful and beautiful.

You should also make sure your veg plot has plenty of organic material, such as compost and manure, to help retain moisture in the soil and protect the plants from drought. Nitrogen-rich materials are usually lush, green or wet, like grass clippings, green leaves or vegetable peelings.

Usefull gardening dates are marked, such as Equinoxes, Solstices and moon cycles, as well as dates for various folk celebrations through the year. I'm not too keen to get a rotavator as some people have told me that they can cause more problems by spreading the seeds and roots into other plots.

For a successful early crop, sow your broad bean seeds indoors in January/February ready for planting in March. Radishes – There’s a surprising variety of radishes on offer – from the tiny, punchy Rosa to the sweet Pink Beauty. Skills for Growing is overflowing with advice and instructions based on years’ worth of detailed data gathering and observation. Not only does it give you information based on your location and weather conditions, it lets you choose the vegetables and fruit you want to grow and produces a free online calendar telling you what to do in each month.With a new year right around the corner, now is the perfect time for UK gardeners to start planning their veg-growing activities for the upcoming months.

Back to the Roots features rare varieties of seeds, which are guaranteed to give your home garden a bit of added flare, and provide an exciting challenge and adventure for ambitious gardeners. And, if you want to put a polytunnel on an allotment, you will need to pass it by the allotment committee first. The Back to the Roots calendar is really something special, as it contains seeds of old varieties that have almost been forgotten.

Learn about the best way to keep your vegetable patches healthy in our Hozelock Guide to Automatic Watering. With the right tools to plant and protect your veg and a bit of preparation, you will be on your way to a productive and successful veg plot!

Once the lettuce plants have sprouted and are about 2 inches tall, thin them out, so they are spaced about 6-8 inches apart. The Synodic Cycle is the simplest form of moon planting as it divides the Luna cycle into four phases. You will find fun and interesting facts that will make it easy to care for your plants, flowers, herbs and vegetables. As well as sowing dates, I give a brief vegetable growing summary for every month, to help you keep on track.In this book, I share the knowledge and techniques you need for success in all aspects of vegetable gardening, based on my decades of experience. My recommendation if you've a big patch to conquer is to go for small victories rather than big disappointments. So, to help you get the most out of your veg growing season, we've put together a handy guide to the essential veg growing calendar for UK gardeners and given you some advice on how to keep your veg plot protected throughout the year. Take advice about where to site it – ideally on a north/south orientation so both sides of the polytunnel get equal amounts of sunlight – but if you have a strong prevailing wind, that will also need to be taken into account.