THE 21st-century kitchen garden: Regular readers will know I'm a keen veg grower, and it's something of a mission to persuade more people to take up this rewarding and healthy activity. Now we're being exhorted by health experts to eat even more fruit and veg, it makes perfect sense to grow at least some of them ourselves.

In the Gardening Which? demonstration gardens at Capel Manor (Enfield, north London) we've created a new kitchen garden to encourage everyone to have a go. Its philosophy is that veg gardening should be fun and fit in with your lifestyle, so one of the first items on the plan was a barbecue, and a plumbed- in sink.

We've also made sure there's lots of path space within the garden to move around - not just for access, but to allow for socialising among the burgeoning crops, sweet-smelling herbs and flowers planted to attract beneficial insects.

In your own garden you could achieve a similar effect by siting the veg garden next to the patio, not hidden away at the bottom of the garden.

Our plot is divided into small beds so none of the spaces are too daunting to weed, water or plant - and to encourage us to grow a little of everything rather than endless allotment-style rows of cabbages that no-one really wants to eat.

This also gives the garden a year-round structure, increased by the central gazebo, which will support climbing fruit.

On a smaller scale you could incorporate sturdy obelisks, maybe painted to match the house.

There's also some raised beds to add visual interest, and give easy access to cut-and-come again salad leaves, frequently used herbs and tasty, fast-growing radishes.

Jobs of the week

* Sow beetroot, broad beans, lettuce and peas in an unheated greenhouse or coldframe, to plant out later

* Divide snowdrops after flowering - they settle in better if still in leaf

* Rake dead leaves out of ponds. If left to rot they increase the level of nutrients in the pond, which encourages the growth of algae

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