I have vivid memories of my grandmother shelling peas for dinner. It is unlikely that many children today would have ever seen such a thing.

It is lovely to shell peas with children. They enjoy the smell and the sweetness of fresh garden peas. It is so much fun to pop open the pod and scoop out all these perfect little green beads.

Even as an adult it is difficult not to be charmed and amazed by how perfect nature packages its produce.

Jamie Oliver suggests that you can throw peas and Parmesan cheese in with tagliatelle for a simple and splendid dinner.

Peas go well with ham and bacon as well as eggs. In the herb family peas enjoy the company of mint, parsley and sage.

My favourite way to eat peas is as a side dish to a roast chicken dinner. Even thinking about that makes me hungry! Enjoy popping your peas.

It is hard not to be impressed with carrots as you pull them up. Like everything grown in your own garden there is something remarkable in harvesting a beautiful vegetable grown from seed.

Before organic produce really took off great numbers of people had already worked out that supermarket carrots tasted like soap.

The carrots from your garden are sweet and crunchy. I know people who go out to the garden, pull one up, wash it and eat it instead of other snack food choices.

There is always a little mystery there too. How big will this carrot be? Remember to keep your carrots covered with soil. This stops them turning a bit green around the tops.

One of the most exotic yet simple carrot salads I know came from Deborah Madison’s classic book Greens. In this the dish the carrots are long strips made with a vegetable peeler. These are tossed with a mix of olive oil, lemon juice, sugar, salt and orange flower water.

It is also lovely to julienne carrots in a tiny bit of water until they are just soft. In a little saucepan melt a dob of butter, a little dried mint and a spoon of honey. Simmer it for a few minutes and stir in the carrot.

I hope you are enjoying the Spring in your garden and harvesting your own home grown carrots. I’d love to hear what your favourite carrot dishes are.

Some YourPatch gardeners are keen to get organic pumpkin growing. But unless you have a large enough area, it just doesn’t work.  

Pumpkins are born to travel.  They love to roam over fences into neighbours gardens and given half the chance they will take over the neighbourhood. 

Every one loves the idea of growing pumpkins but you really need an acreage to contain them. 

For those of you lucky enough to have the space for pumpkins try them as wedges, patties, chips, and of course a fabulous bowl of soup.

The time to harvest onions is when the tops go yellow and fold over.

Onions are best grown in sandy soils as too much organic matter can make them go soft. If this happens they won’t keep or store well.

Be careful when you pull them up that you don’t damage them. They won’t store well if this happens.

1. Reduce your carbon foot print.
2. Know where your food comes from.
3. Know what is (not) sprayed on your food.
4. Educate yourself and your children about things that grow.
5. Save money.
6. Eat quality organic produce every day.
7. Pick vine ripened fruit and vegetables.
8. Avoid eating cold storage produce (12 months then gas ripened).
9. Pick just what you need for a meal - nothing wasted in the crisper.
10. The joy of having a productive garden.
11. Have a talking point with your friends and neighbours and admire your own accomplishments,
12. Get more in touch with nature.

When ever I install a new garden, I make sure the owner knows to keep it moist all the time.

Particularly during hot weather. The reason is there is an entire microbial colony living in the soil, and they need moisture to live. If your soil dries, it may even become water resistant which means your soil would need replacing.

So in hot weather, hand water your garden rather than let it dry out.