The sun has come out, the temperature is rising and I have a feeling that quite a few barbecues will be lit this weekend.  At my house we are planning a spectacular gourmet feast with halloumi kebabs and homemade chilli burgers (from A&C mince beef, of course!).  Pride of place on the table will be a beautiful home-grown rocket salad.  Well, that is if I can bear to pick the rocket that has been so lovingly tended for several weeks!

Salad leaves are so quick and easy to grow: Within a few weeks of planting you will have a full mixed leaf salad on your plate.  The best thing is that you don’t even need a garden or an allotment – just a pot or two, some compost (preferably peat-free) and a packet of seeds. If you haven’t got any outside space a sunny windowsill will do.

Pop the seeds in this weekend, keep them well watered and within a matter of weeks you’ll be munching away.  It really is that simple, but for extra advice on growing your own, visit www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/digin/vegetables/.

However, be prepared for slug attacks!  At night they sneak out to wreak havoc on your emerging leaves.  There are a variety of natural solutions you can try (we want to keep your salad organic after all).  Protecting pots with gravel, eggshells or copper strips will deter all but the most persistent slugs from attacking your salad.

Our new gardening committee at Abel & Cole also have the ‘grow your own’ bug.  The beds have been dug up in preparation for the A&C herb garden and Chef Paul is ready to flavour our lunches with home-grown tasty herbs.

But be warned it can be addictive…….flushed by success my vegetable empire now includes carrots and tomatoes, and is taking over my tiny patio.  Who knows, maybe next year you’ll be finding my organic veg in your box!

A last tip for you….see www.growveg.com for advice on how to plot out a vegetable patch if you have the space!

Good luck, and let us know how you get on!

Katy from Customer Services