Out with the old, in with the new by Steve Ott

After fairly a dismal year with spring planted/sown onions this year I decided to take the autumn planting option and have planted two beds now including onions, shallots and garlic. The first were planted about three weeks ago and they have put on so much growth already. Gooseberry bushes too think it's spring and have burst their buds. I can only cross my fingers that the inevitable cold weather to come won't cause too great a loss to next season's harvest – I always look forward to my gooseberry jam!

I've finally planted the asparagus plants that I have been nursing for over two years having grown them from seed against all advice. They have spent their time in a cold polytunnel until now and were potted up as necessary until they were finally in 13cm (5in) pots. It was always difficult to keep them properly watered so I'm quite glad to have them outside now, however with the warm weather, they too have kept growing and are still sending up the odd new shoot. The pots were thick with lovely white roots so I have high hopes for them providing the slugs don't eat the new spring shoots before they get through the soil – something that happened to me before with ready-grown crowns.

I did try to separate the male plants from the females as many of the plants flowered this year, but it isn't easy to decide which is which so I think I probably have a mixture! (The males are said to have the best quality shoots and with only males there can be no seedlings to clog up the bed) Mine will just have to take their chances. I kept some spare plants back to fill in any gaps after the winter.

Anyone else had experience of seed-raised plants? On second thoughts after two years in the growing, if you don't like them, please don't tell me!