Alys Fowler entertained a packed tent at the beautiful Cottesbrooke Hall Plant Finders Fair yesterday. The fair was organised in association with Gardens Illustrated and Alys’s books were on sale after her talk.

I thought this was a good opportunity to update everyone on the progress in my own edible garden. So far we have eaten strawberries, loads of lettuce and plenty of herbs.

The sunburst squash is coming on and I can’t wait to see what’s going on under the ground in with the potatoes and garlic.

And we have about eight chilli plants grown from seed. There might be one or two going spare if you ask nicely!

Of course it’s not all about edibles, Alys’s idea is to mix your fruit and veg with your flowers and if possible grow edible flowers which is why if you look carefully in this picture you’ll see some aquilegia whose leaves can be used in salad and Alys says the flowers are tasty too.

Alys Fowler’s The Edible Garden is out now.

Hannah - Publicity Manager

I’ve always enjoyed gardening and for the past few years have been growing tomatoes, courgettes and peppers. This year Alys Fowler’s new book The Edible Garden has inspired me to raise the bar and branch out into potatoes, garlic, salads and strawberries. I’ve also started a herb garden.

Because I rent my flat all my edibles have to be grown in pots but that doesn’t mean they have to look boring. I’m growing Night Scented Stocks amongst my salad leaves and will be planting Lobelia in with the garlic.

I’ve already used some of the herbs in cooking and can’t wait to harvest the rest.

Have you planted anything out yet?

Hannah - Publicity Manager

Find out more about Alys Fowler’s The Edible Garden

Aside from all the lettuce, rocket and chard that we have been cutting to eat in our salads over the past few months, BBC Books editor Caroline went out to the garden this morning and did a bit of a harvest, with chilies, baby courgettes, runner beans and a few ripe tomatoes!

I have taken some beans and a chili for my dinner tonight, and there was some mention of people stuffing the courgette flowers with cheese and deep frying them.  YUM! I guess when you publish some of the best gardening and cookery books on the market, some of it is bound to rub off…

Katie - Digital Marketing Executive

I think it’s been around 6 or 7 weeks since we started the balcony garden project, and despite hailstorms and heatwaves, it is going really very well.  The tomatoes are growing, the courgettes look amazing, we have french beans coming in, I think the potatoes might be ready, the lettuce and rocket has been going down a treat in my lunches every day… who knew we all had such green fingers!  It also makes the balcony a much nicer place to be.  The only problem is once you’re out there, it is tempting to stay out there all day!

Katie - Digital Marketing Executive

Despite a heat wave and hailstorms, our little garden is becoming colourful and much more importantly … edible! Following our first strawberries which were just in time for Wimbledon, succulent lettuce leaves are making their way into Ebury staff lunches. The courgette flowers are huge and their little yellow courgettes and the peas are growing like fury. It’s almost time to start getting some inspiration from our authors and planning some delicious summer recipes.

See more photos on Flickr

Bridget - Senior Production Controller

I had an audience today as I pottered on the balcony with stakes and twine, wrestling with our bendy tomatoes to try and make them straight. Floor 5 are very impressed, so keep an eye out for stray bookish types sneaking into the garden to pillage our stocks. Call me dull, but the most exciting things I’ve seen all week are the baby courgettes. We have lots and they’re yellow, which makes them almost exotic. I’m told that one courgette plant produces enough fruit to feed a family of four, and we have about five plants, so prepare for a courgette-based diet for the summer.

The strawberries are also coming along. Carey tells me they’re the sweetest strawberries she’s tasted, and there’s one fruit that’s about a day away from perfect ripeness, so whoever does the watering tomorrow can fight for it.

The runner beans are looking statuesque wrapped around their canes, and the tomatoes are full of flowers, so we’ll have plenty for salads in the coming weeks. The salad leaves are looking very healthy and they’re cut-and-come-again varieties, so Eburyites, do pick a few leaves for your lunch. They’ll grow back in no time.

Caroline - BBC Books Editor

Shhhh - I have a secret to tell you.

Don’t tell anyone, because otherwise they’ll all be down on the 4th floor balcony with their cream and sugar but…

…

we have a strawberry on our strawberry plant.  Actually we have around 6 strawberries on two plants.

Do you see one there, hiding in the straw?  Okay, they’re not at the eating stage yet, but they soon will be…

Our tomato plants are also doing brilliantly.  In fact, almost all of our plants are thriving. A couple of them look a bit odd, but I’m sure they’ll bounce back!  I know it’s only three weeks in and we haven’t actually eaten any of the fruits of our labour yet, but hurrah for us!  Hurrah for urban gardening! Hurrah for Joe Swift for coming and showing us how to do it!

Can you tell I’m feeling enthusiastic? More news soon.

Katie - Digital Marketing Executive

Growth!

From this:

to this:

And from this:

to this:

Look at those strawberries, too!

More photos on Flickr

Katie - Digital Marketing Exec

Despite the less than stellar weather, the balcony garden is looking great!  The grow bags finally arrived, and all of the plants have now been planted out.  There are flowers on the tomatoes and one or two flowers on the strawberries too!  Here’s hoping for a bumper crop!

Flowers on the tomato plants!

Flowers on the strawberries

Our growing garden

To see more photos and keep up to date with the garden, visit our Flickr page

Katie - Digital Marketing Exec

Finally we have made a start on the balcony garden!  For some unknown reason, it took ages for our seedlings to arrive, so we haven’t had anything to show you!  Of course they arrived on the greyest day in weeks, but never mind.  They are there and looking very sweet.

Our seedlings have finally arrived!  Inside this box are all sorts of delights - lettuce, strawberries, courgettes…

Rocket, lettuce and a few chili plants

Sweetpeas (in the big pot), chili plants and tomatoes

Tiny pea plants

Tomato plants

As you can see, they’re all very small at the minute, but I’m sure it won’t take long for them to grow and grow.  We’ll aim to update you on the garden once every week or so, so stay tuned!

Katie - Digital Marketing Exec

For help with your garden this summer, visit the Rbooks gardening channel