Sharing know-how about UK gardening

Organic growing methods rule here, so Dorothy is in her element. 'I first became interested in organic gardening when I had my children. We've a responsibility for their health and their future, and I became interested in the food I was providing for them. Organic growing embraces the needs of the soil, ourselves and other life, so is a wholesome idea. I particularly like the education side of this job, especially for those youngsters who have no idea where their food comes from. Some of them really do think food starts off in plastic bags, and don't realise that carrots are dug out of the ground.'

What about pests and diseases? 'We get few slugs here, perhaps because most of the ground is free-draining, except for a clayey strip running through the middle of the main vegetable plot. The chickens may have an effect too, although at one point I had to ban them because of them doing more harm than good. Usually I resort to sticks to protect seedbeds and young plants from the chickens and the cats,' explained Dorothy. 'Potato blight can also be a problem with some of the varieties we grow, so if it takes hold, we cut the foliage down to the ground and dispose of it, before the disease spreads to the tubers.'