0:00:04 > 0:00:08I'm Alys Fowler. I'm a gardener and a writer.
0:00:11 > 0:00:16I grew up in the countryside, but now my husband and I live in the city.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21I get pleasure from simple things.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23Home-baked bread...
0:00:25 > 0:00:27..home-grown vegetables,
0:00:27 > 0:00:29and making things from what I find around me.
0:00:32 > 0:00:38'This is my garden, a small Victorian terrace backyard, 20 foot by 60.'
0:00:38 > 0:00:42Isabel, don't pee there! Isabel...
0:00:42 > 0:00:45'This year, I'm experimenting.
0:00:45 > 0:00:50'I'm trying to avoid shop-bought fruit and veg and live off my own home-grown produce.
0:00:50 > 0:00:55'But this won't be easy because I want my garden to be both productive and beautiful.'
0:00:57 > 0:01:00Heaven. Heaven is a home-grown cucumber.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06'Each week, I'll focus on different foods.
0:01:06 > 0:01:11'From salads to peas, courgettes to tomatoes, even edible flowers,
0:01:11 > 0:01:17'and show how anyone can grow, cook and eat from their own garden, even if you live in a city.'
0:01:24 > 0:01:28It's the end of April and it's predictably raining.
0:01:28 > 0:01:35And this is the beginning of my summer of making the garden both as
0:01:35 > 0:01:40productive as it possibly can be and as pretty as it possibly can be.
0:01:40 > 0:01:48And, to do that, there are plants in the garden that need to come out and lots of veg that need to go in.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52In order to get as much food in here as possible, I need to get rid of
0:01:52 > 0:01:57some things which just aren't really helping my cause. This cistus
0:01:57 > 0:01:58not only is half-dead,
0:01:58 > 0:02:04I can't eat it and I don't think it's that pretty, so it has to go because this is a good spot.
0:02:08 > 0:02:13I don't want my garden to look like an allotment. I want my garden to look like a garden.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19So I'm going to grow my vegetables in groups
0:02:19 > 0:02:22that will look pretty together and grow happily side-by-side.
0:02:25 > 0:02:30In my new and beautiful garden, this bit will have some chickens.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34This is my compost heap, my huge, ginormous compost heap.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37This bit over here is,
0:02:37 > 0:02:41sort of, raspberries, rhubarb, strawberries, apple.
0:02:41 > 0:02:47And then, coming up through here is potato, garlic,
0:02:47 > 0:02:50wilder salad things.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53There's a big sweep of garlic here.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57There's going to be more kales, more Swiss chard and...
0:02:57 > 0:03:00Jerusalem artichokes there.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02More lettuce.
0:03:02 > 0:03:08Peas growing up all the way through the rose. More lettuce through here.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11I think I'm going to have a broad bean moment over there.
0:03:11 > 0:03:17Lots of lettuce, can't have too much lettuce. And then some courgettes,
0:03:17 > 0:03:19probably where these geraniums are.
0:03:19 > 0:03:24So, at the very bottom, down by the shed, I'm going to grow some squash.
0:03:24 > 0:03:29And I'm hoping that my neighbours might not mind if I let the squash go up and onto their roof
0:03:29 > 0:03:34because it's really sunny up there, and I'll give them half the squash.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38And, if there's any space left, I'll put some flowers in it.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43People always think of flowers as the pretty bit of the garden,
0:03:43 > 0:03:45but there are just as many beautiful vegetables.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49And a great place to start is with one particular family known for its
0:03:49 > 0:03:53charming flowers and, of course, its wonderfully nutritious pods.
0:04:01 > 0:04:07French beans, runner beans, broad beans and mange tout all taste best when picked fresh.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12And there is nothing fresher than your own garden.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17You can even make cocktails out of some of them.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23This year, I'm going to let go of more traditional growing methods
0:04:23 > 0:04:25and plant my vegetables amongst my flowers and shrubs.
0:04:25 > 0:04:30I'll need to put them where they'll get the best conditions, but I also
0:04:30 > 0:04:34want to enjoy the beauty they're going to bring to the garden.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45It's April, and first to be planted out are my broad beans which I sowed
0:04:45 > 0:04:50back in February in trays filled with shop-bought compost.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52I'm growing
0:04:52 > 0:04:56most of my plants in modules.
0:04:56 > 0:05:03I find it such an efficient way to grow because you raise almost perfect plants away from the slugs.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06There's no problem with the seed rotting off in the soil.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11But also, as space becomes available, you can just drop it in.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14So it's going to be a constant kind of...
0:05:14 > 0:05:18constantly tending
0:05:18 > 0:05:24because I don't want one plant to overcrowd or compete too much for light with the other one.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28I don't think you should ever feel that plants are overwhelming you.
0:05:31 > 0:05:36You don't think much of this gardening lark, do you, Iz? No.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38Coming?
0:05:40 > 0:05:42One thing is for sure.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45All my plants need a healthy home in which to flourish,
0:05:45 > 0:05:48and that means feeding the poor soil that I've inherited.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52I've had to dig in bags of compost.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55Now I'm beginning to reap the benefits.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59But I need to address some of my planting scheme.
0:05:59 > 0:06:04Part of the issue with this kind of gardening is that you've constantly got to nip
0:06:04 > 0:06:09other plants out and give space and light so that the one crop
0:06:09 > 0:06:13you do want can get going, and then they can all muddle together.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16So, in this garden, I decide how big a plant's going to get, not the plant.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19Which means I have to be brave
0:06:19 > 0:06:21and pull at things.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28My peas and beans are going to need supports to grow up,
0:06:28 > 0:06:35and I have this idea in my head that I want to add a kind of sculptural, slightly crazy, hippie, makeshift...
0:06:35 > 0:06:37I just don't want tripods all over the place.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41So I have a friend over who's an incredible weaver
0:06:41 > 0:06:47and maker of beautiful things out of willow and whatnot, just to give a whole new element to the garden.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49At least that's the idea in my head.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56My local park has a woodland area that they coppice,
0:06:56 > 0:07:00and I've got permission for Sally and I to collect what we need.
0:07:00 > 0:07:05What kinds of material are we looking for?
0:07:05 > 0:07:10I mean, willow's an obvious one. But can you get away with, say, using a bit of oak?
0:07:10 > 0:07:13Yeah. If it will bend, then you can weave it.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16It doesn't matter if it's oak or ash or hazel.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19- Anything that you've cut down. - Why is willow so good, I suppose?
0:07:19 > 0:07:21Lots and lots of reasons.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24I mean, it's traditionally been used to make baskets
0:07:24 > 0:07:27and weaving for centuries, so there's a reason why it was chosen.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29And it grows very fast.
0:07:29 > 0:07:35So these will be last year's growth, and you've got nearly 10 foot.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39- You can see why, it just is so flexible, isn't it?- It's gorgeous.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41You get all the shapes.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44- You can really use your imagination. - There's some stuff that's
0:07:44 > 0:07:51been cut because the park just cut it and then leave it as a habitat, rotting-down patch.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55So what you want to do, Alys, is just pull out a bundle.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58So if we can make up a bundle of some thick bits and some thin bits.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01- And as long as it's... - Nice and bendy, yeah.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05Right, I can see some thin bits down at the bottom here.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12I've been lucky enough to collect my own willow locally, but it's easy to
0:08:12 > 0:08:17buy over the internet, with many suppliers being happy to deliver.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20I feel like a proper kind of harvester now.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35Before my plants start flopping all over the place,
0:08:35 > 0:08:39Sally is going to teach me how to make a beautiful plant support.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43Right, OK, let's go with those.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45To just help it to bend, you just put it
0:08:45 > 0:08:47on your knee, you don't have to press too hard,
0:08:47 > 0:08:54- pull it across the knee. - It's just amazing how much it starts working with you.- Yeah.
0:08:54 > 0:09:01It starts to suggest to the fibres inside that that's what they want to do. And that gives you your bend.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05'You don't need string to hold it all together, you can use another plant.'
0:09:05 > 0:09:10Sue, can I have some of your phormium leaves?
0:09:10 > 0:09:13- Is that enough?- Plenty.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17'Fortunately, my neighbour, Sue, has a large phormium.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21'Sally wants to use the strong fibrous leaves to tie our frame together.'
0:09:32 > 0:09:34'Plant supports can be expensive to buy.
0:09:34 > 0:09:41'But my lobster pots have cost nothing but a few hours of my time and, once the plants have died back,
0:09:41 > 0:09:43'they'll still give some shape to the border.'
0:09:49 > 0:09:51There we go.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54Well, I don't think it's...
0:09:54 > 0:09:55a piece of art.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00But I said I wanted organic.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04But from up here, it looks nice and natural, it really blends in with the garden.
0:10:06 > 0:10:11This will be perfect
0:10:11 > 0:10:13for the peas.
0:10:16 > 0:10:21One of the sources of my inspiration for growing flowers and vegetables together is permaculture.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25This simply means observing how nature works
0:10:25 > 0:10:29and then trying to do the same thing in your own garden.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36Living proof of its success is the Harland family,
0:10:36 > 0:10:38who have been gardening this way for over 20 years.
0:10:38 > 0:10:44You could say this whole landscape is quite wild, but actually we see it as
0:10:44 > 0:10:48a nature reserve that grows food for us as a family.
0:10:48 > 0:10:54Their daughters, Hayley and Gail, have grown up with Mum and Dad's passion for permaculture.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58Their garden is also their other baby.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01They spend more time in the garden than with us!
0:11:01 > 0:11:04When they started, many people thought it
0:11:04 > 0:11:07a hippie approach to gardening and that it wouldn't really work.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13The way we garden is using permaculture principles.
0:11:13 > 0:11:18We create a garden that invites lots of wildlife into it,
0:11:18 > 0:11:23invites lots of predators for pests, so that all that you see
0:11:23 > 0:11:27is completely unsprayed, it's a completely organic system.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32We designed it with zoning.
0:11:32 > 0:11:37Zoning is a permaculture design idea whereby you
0:11:37 > 0:11:43put the things closest to the house that need the most attention.
0:11:43 > 0:11:48So you'd have your most delicate salad plants, your tender flowers.
0:11:48 > 0:11:54As you move outward, away from the home, you then site the fruit trees
0:11:54 > 0:12:01and then the larger nut trees, the wilder hedgerows that need very little attention.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05And it's a nice way to make a garden.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08We don't fuss around the edges, as I think you can possibly see,
0:12:08 > 0:12:11but the food's there. That's what matters.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14But the principles behind it can
0:12:14 > 0:12:20be taken and shrunken down to any scale. Even if you've got a patio, you can apply the same principles.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24What have you got?
0:12:24 > 0:12:29Gooseberries, loganberries, Worcester berries.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33Everything I could find, really.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37I love it because it's given me the opportunity to be a bit more healthy.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42It's nice because it's, like, you think that you can get more
0:12:42 > 0:12:47in the supermarkets and stuff, but actually you've got so much that you can get in a garden.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50And also, you don't get Worcester berries and stuff from everywhere.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53So you get seasonal things.
0:12:53 > 0:12:58Sometimes we'll be having blackberry and apple crumbles and stuff, and then other times we'll be making...
0:12:58 > 0:13:02- Every berry.- Every berry. - Every berry coulis.
0:13:02 > 0:13:08This garden is very much about not purchasing a lot of commercial
0:13:08 > 0:13:15materials for the garden, but to try and set up a reasonably self-sustaining system.
0:13:15 > 0:13:23We don't all have to totally change the world overnight, but we do all need to play our part.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26And if we do that collectively, we can make a huge difference.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40It's May, and the weather has turned unseasonably warm.
0:13:40 > 0:13:46Now that it's getting hot, it's really important to start mulching around the vegetables
0:13:46 > 0:13:53because this not only keeps the weeds down, but it locks in and conserves the moisture.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57And this is just blended
0:13:57 > 0:13:59farmyard manure and compost
0:13:59 > 0:14:03which I've clearly bought from a shop because I don't have
0:14:03 > 0:14:05quite enough of my own compost at this point.
0:14:05 > 0:14:10When I water, I'm not losing it
0:14:10 > 0:14:13straight to the air.
0:14:15 > 0:14:22And beans have a critical period when they start to flower and they're beginning to set fruit
0:14:22 > 0:14:26and turn into long pods, and they need a lot of water at this point.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30And if they get in any way checked
0:14:30 > 0:14:34by the lack of moisture, then you don't get good beans.
0:14:41 > 0:14:46Every day, I come out into this garden and I just am amazed by it.
0:14:46 > 0:14:51I want to look at it constantly, I want to be in it and I want to just see how it evolves.
0:14:51 > 0:14:56And this seems so much more gentle, this approach. It doesn't seem to be
0:14:56 > 0:15:01bogged down in these strict things that you must do this at this point,
0:15:01 > 0:15:04and you must water it at this point.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08It just seems to be more free...
0:15:08 > 0:15:10and fluid.
0:15:10 > 0:15:15And nature seems more responsive off it.
0:15:15 > 0:15:20And now I do sound like a crazy hippie!
0:15:20 > 0:15:21Oh, well.
0:15:21 > 0:15:26As a child, my mum kept chickens
0:15:26 > 0:15:30and I loved them, so it's something I want to do, too.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34Today, the chickens arrive, which is one step closer to me
0:15:34 > 0:15:37becoming a little bit more self-sufficient-ish, at least.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41Because the chickens will close a loop within the garden.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45I'll be able to recycle a lot more of my kitchen waste through them.
0:15:45 > 0:15:52I'll get eggs. And then they'll give me chicken manure, which will make the whole garden grow richer.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55'So, it's a nice little cycle.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58'I suppose.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06'There are rules on where you can keep chickens, so it's worth checking
0:16:06 > 0:16:10'with your local authority planning office before you take the plunge.'
0:16:10 > 0:16:11Move this out the way...
0:16:13 > 0:16:14All right?
0:16:17 > 0:16:19Ah.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21Can we go get the chickens?
0:16:21 > 0:16:23We can go get the chickens, yes.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25No problem at all.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29The exciting bit.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34- All ready for you.- Hello, girls.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41That's it. And if you stroke her and talk to her...
0:16:41 > 0:16:43- Hello.- ..you've got a friend for life.
0:16:43 > 0:16:49'I've chosen 18-week-old chickens called point of lay because they're almost ready to start laying.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51'And, at this age, they cost about £15.'
0:16:51 > 0:16:53That one's feisty.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56A speckledy.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00Lay you some nice dark brown eggs.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03'I've got a bluebell and a speckled hen
0:17:03 > 0:17:07'who I'm naming after Gertrude Stein and Alice B Toklas.'
0:17:07 > 0:17:13Chickens are basically easy to look after, but you do have to clip their wings to stop them from flying away.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15That's one bit I'm not looking forward to.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18What we've got to do, they are the flight feathers.
0:17:18 > 0:17:24You feel for the end of the wing, so that we don't make... We make sure we don't cut the wing.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28And we take off...
0:17:28 > 0:17:31The flight feathers. It's only like you
0:17:31 > 0:17:35cutting your toenails, no problem at all.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38Done properly, you can't actually see she's been done.
0:17:38 > 0:17:43- And how often do I have to do that? - Once every six months or so, whenever she has been in moult.
0:17:43 > 0:17:49And when she starts to grow new feathers, otherwise she will replace them.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52Just pop them in, Alys. That's it.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59- Bye-bye.- OK.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02They'll find their own way out.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11I'm completely in love with my chickens.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14They are perfect.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17They look so pretty together.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21Hi, Isabel, are you coming to say hello to them?
0:18:29 > 0:18:35It's June and, as I hoped, nature seems to be doing most of the work for me.
0:18:35 > 0:18:40All I'm doing is watering a lot. My runner beans are looking absolutely beautiful.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44And the French beans, mange touts and broad beans are coming along, too.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51I'm very proud of my broad beans.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54It was a bit of a gamble whether they could hold their own.
0:18:54 > 0:19:00I thought they might flop all over the place but they've grown up fantastically strong and straight.
0:19:00 > 0:19:06And now that they are in flower and are just beginning to finish flower, it's time to pinch out the tops.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09This concentrates all the energy into producing the beans,
0:19:09 > 0:19:14but it can also help to just keep the blackfly, which are the nemesis of a broad bean.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17And, very shortly, I shall be picking beans.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37Only a couple of weeks later, and my first broad beans and mange tout peas are ready.
0:19:39 > 0:19:45But the real problem with any of the peas is being able to not eat all the peas on the plant
0:19:45 > 0:19:49at that moment and actually getting them to the kitchen.
0:19:49 > 0:19:55That seems to me to be a monumentous task that I never quite manage.
0:20:23 > 0:20:31This variety is called red epicure, they're like little babies wrapped up in cotton wool.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49Broad beans make great falafel.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53All I have to do is boil up the beans, then add some chickpeas,
0:20:53 > 0:20:57garlic, cumin and lots of fresh herbs.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01Parsley, mint and coriander.
0:21:01 > 0:21:08And then mash it together. The only ingredients that aren't from my garden are cumin and chickpeas.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12And the uncooked mixture freezes brilliantly.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15And actually, very quick to make for something that
0:21:15 > 0:21:18looks like it would be quite a lot of faff.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23But there's no faff in this falafel!
0:21:23 > 0:21:24That's really bad!
0:21:33 > 0:21:35This way. That way, come on.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38- Ahh... No. - CLUCKING
0:21:38 > 0:21:41Not...
0:21:41 > 0:21:43Gertrude.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45Yes.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49'The chickens have settled in now and they're easy to look after...'
0:21:49 > 0:21:50Oi, oi, oi.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53'..except for those moments when they escape.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56'I feed them my weeds, kitchen peelings and the chicken poo goes
0:21:56 > 0:22:00'on the compost as an activator which speeds up the process of composting.'
0:22:02 > 0:22:05You can't escape, go on, back you go. Ooh. Oi.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07Oi.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09Oh, Gertrude.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14Stay.
0:22:17 > 0:22:18Bad chicken.
0:22:18 > 0:22:23When you buy young chickens, they don't lay eggs right away.
0:22:23 > 0:22:28But my two have now matured and are doing their bit for my home-grown diet.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31Thank you very much for the eggs, girls.
0:22:31 > 0:22:36So both Alice and Gertrude are laying every day without fail.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41And then, every other day, Gertrude gives me this extra big,
0:22:41 > 0:22:46extra-special double-yolker, which is just ginormous.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49It makes her star hen, really.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51That's an Alice egg.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53That's a normal Gertrude.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56And that's an extra-special Gertrude.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00That must be really painful.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14This is a good twist on the traditional omelette.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17Two happy hens and a handful of herbs.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27It's mid summer and the garden is in full swing,
0:23:27 > 0:23:31I'm harvesting every day but, to keep my supplies up,
0:23:31 > 0:23:34I am continuously sowing and planting out.
0:23:34 > 0:23:39But if you don't have a garden to grow in, you can do it just as easily in a container.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41You are such a lazy dog.
0:23:41 > 0:23:46Even if you just have a window ledge, you can still grow yourself some peas.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49But you're not harvesting the pea pods, you're harvesting the shoots.
0:23:49 > 0:23:54Pea shoots are the tender tips of the garden pea plant.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57These shoots are three weeks old and ready for their first pickings.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00They make a delicious salad leaf.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03I have to admit, the reason why I have
0:24:03 > 0:24:10dried peas is because I thought the package was stylish and nothing to do with liking to eat dried peas.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14But then I thought, "I wonder if they're any good?"
0:24:14 > 0:24:18And they're so cheap, much cheaper than garden centre peas,
0:24:18 > 0:24:21so I tried them out, and they germinate really well.
0:24:21 > 0:24:26So these are now my official
0:24:26 > 0:24:30favourite pea shoot peas.
0:24:34 > 0:24:41And, just to prove exactly how good they are, this packet was purchased in 2007,
0:24:41 > 0:24:45and they all germinate like clockwork.
0:24:45 > 0:24:46So, all you do is
0:24:46 > 0:24:52cram it full because you're not growing them to full size.
0:24:52 > 0:24:58Squish them in, give them a good water, put them somewhere warm, on a window ledge,
0:24:58 > 0:25:01on a nice balcony, somewhere in the sun.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04And, within a couple of weeks,
0:25:04 > 0:25:07you have pea shoots to start harvesting.
0:25:22 > 0:25:27By August, the garden is at its most productive, and I'm pleased that it's looking so pretty.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30At this time of year, it's easy to end up with a glut,
0:25:30 > 0:25:34which is a good thing because it means plenty for later in the year.
0:25:34 > 0:25:39The minute you stop picking runner beans, they stop producing.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43So, you need to keep picking if you want lots of runner beans.
0:25:43 > 0:25:48At this point, I'm just actually being very traditional and freezing a lot because...
0:25:50 > 0:25:52..now they seem...
0:25:52 > 0:25:58Frozen beans don't seem that exciting. Actually, come January,
0:25:58 > 0:26:02to add to curries and soups,
0:26:02 > 0:26:05they're brilliant.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09Surprisingly, this is just
0:26:09 > 0:26:11four plants,
0:26:11 > 0:26:13and they've really been more
0:26:13 > 0:26:16than I can handle.
0:26:18 > 0:26:25This is a very beautiful dark purple French bean called Nectar Queen.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29And it's just the most intense purple colour.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33But, unfortunately, the minute you put it into boiling water, it goes bright green.
0:26:34 > 0:26:38So, all of that colour is lost when you come to eat it.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44But all is forgiven for the way it looks on the bush.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51Isabel, don't pee there. Isabel...
0:27:08 > 0:27:12I'm overrun with pea shoots, which is a good excuse to do a bit of experimenting.
0:27:12 > 0:27:19I'm going to make a "peatini", which is a pea-based martini using a recipe from chef Mark Hix.
0:27:22 > 0:27:26All I have to do is blend the pea shoots into a puree with a bit of water.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33Then add some gin, sugar syrup and a squeeze of lemon.
0:27:34 > 0:27:39Then invite some friends over to try them!
0:27:50 > 0:27:53And, because the garden has been so productive, I can serve up
0:27:53 > 0:27:56more of my tasty home-grown falafels and a big bowl of salad.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02My little garden really rocks. I haven't had to buy
0:28:02 > 0:28:08any peas or beans this summer and I even have frozen runner beans to take me into the winter.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18The next stage of my grow-your-own adventure is all about salad crops.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21Tomatoes and cucumbers.
0:28:21 > 0:28:25And lettuce leaves, one of the fastest and easiest things to grow.