Fred Watson our expert of the day, writes:

I’m not by any means a gardener, but I do love my grandchildren and when they clamoured to buy some seeds, I let them pick one packet each. Chloe the eldest picked a packet of mixed flowers, and I reckoned I could cope with them. But the youngest Bethany was going through one of those phases that children go through. She had taken to eating tomatoes, as if they were apples, she couldn’t get enough of them.

Yes, that’s Right. You’ve guessed it. She picked a packet of tomato seeds. Glory be, what was I to do now, as far as I was aware you needed a greenhouse in these northern climes, to grow tomatoes. I tried to talk her out of it, but she was having none of it.

‘You said I could pick my own seeds, Grandad,’ she cried.

‘Yes, but I don’t think you can grow them without a greenhouse.’ I said.

‘Why?’

‘Because, they don’t like the cold.’

‘But it’s not cold, Grandad, it’s nice and warm.’

‘I don’t mean just today, I mean in general.’

‘What’s in general?’