Leaving Crops to Flower

If you have over-wintered kale, sprouting broccoli or leeks on your plot they will be starting to flower in an effort to produce seed and reproduce before they die off. Don't be in too much of a hurry to cut these plants down if you have room on your plot to leave them standing for another month.

Early flowers such as these are a valuable food source for bees and other insects at a time when other nectar-rich plants are scarce. You may also notice that the plants attract aphids. Don't panic! These will in turn attract natural predators such as lacewings and ladybirds to your plot to feast.

With luck (and a little hospitality), these predators will then stay and continue to provide a free, organic pest-control service on all your crops for the rest of the year.