Protection

The growing of vegetables is so fraught with possible mishaps that it's a wonder that anything ever makes it from plot to table! Take for example these calabrese. First of all it was too cold to plant them out so I started them off in the greenhouse but they hate having their roots disturbed so need to be planted in paper pots so this doesn't happen when they get planted out. In addition to this they're also very sensitive to being transplanted in hot weather so you need to pick a coolish day to move them to make sure they don't wilt and die. If you successfully overcome these hurdles as soon as they're outside is when the real challenges start...

Nice young brassicas are one of the favourite snacks for slugs on my plot so the cup you can see in the middle of the picture is a beer trap to keep them at bay. The wood pigeons that live in surrounding trees also enjoy giving them a peck and nibble which means they need to be netted as soon as they're planted out and this also serves as protection from cabbage white butterflies whose offspring will demolish a bed of calabrese or any brassica in no time. If that isn't enough regular watering is crucial for them to form the heads of broccoli that you're aiming for.

Simple isn't it? If you make it past all of that your final challenge is to decide how you want to cook it and sit back and enjoy your meal!