Taking Cuttings: (from summer to autumn)

Cuttings are an easy way to produce your own organically grown plants, at little or no cost. Many plant cuttings root easily, and you don't need any special skills or facilities. As well as saving money, you can ensure that your plants and their compost are pesticide-free. Extra plants are always useful - to replace short-lived specimens like sage and thyme when are past their best; as insurance against winter loss - hebe, cistus or tender penstemons, for example.

Timing: Cuttings are taken from the current year's growth. Depending on the maturity of the growth they are known as softwood, greenwood, semi-ripe or hardwood cuttings. The younger the plant material the more quickly it will root, but the more fiddly it will be to keep it alive until it does root.

Semi-Ripe Cuttings: are taken from new growth that is beginning to toughen up, especially at the base. They are generally taken from around mid-summer until early autumn from deciduous shrubs, and in mid autumn or autumn from most evergreens. If in doubt, take several batches of cuttings and see which works best.

Hardwood, or ripe Cuttings: are taken from woodier shoots at the end of their first growing season. The best time to take these cuttings is just after leaf fall for deciduous species, autumn or early winter for most evergreens. Some cuttings may be put to root directly in the soil; others can be raised more practically in pots or trays. Whatever the location, they will root best in a medium that is free-draining, but which also holds moisture. In the soil, this means that you may have to add grit to improve drainage, or leafmould to improve moisture holding.

Taking a semi-ripe cutting:

1. Select non-flowering shoots that are firm at the base, softer towards the top. Some cuttings, like Rosemary, root well with a heel. Put the cut shoots into a polythene bag and keep them cool.

2. Trim as appropriate to the type of cutting. A length of around 10-15cm (4-6in) is usually recommended, but shorter or longer will do. Cut off tip if growth is soft. Remove leaves from lower two-thirds of the stem. If leaves are large they may flop down on to the growing medium, or touch other leaves.

3. Fill a 12.5cm (4.5in) pot with moist cutting compost. Insert cuttings around the edge of the pot, so the lowest leaves are just above the soil surface. Space them so that their leaves don't touch. Cover pot if necessary. Place the pot somewhere light but out of direct sunlight.

The bristly leaves of comfrey (Symphytum officinale and S. x uplandicum) can be picked to make a rich plant feed for organic gardens. This is the recipe used by J.R. Harris, who gardens by the lunar calendar at Tresillian, Cornwall.

1. Harvest the comfrey leaves and stems at the start of the moon's third quarter - this is when the leaves and stems are most charged with sap, due to the water table being at its highest level.

2. Cut the comfrey at ground level and shred or finely cut up the leaves and stems.

3. Place 1kg of plant matter and 11 litres of cold rain or tap water in a non-metallic container - an 80-litre plastic dustbin with lid is ideal. As you harvest, add batches of 1kg comfrey to 11 litres water until the container is full.

4. Put on the lid to exclude light. Leave to "brew" for at least one calendar month. Stir occasionally with a wooden stick. Before using, strain the stock to remove comfrey debris.

5. The feed can be used at three different strengths. One part comfrey stock to 80 parts water iks a homoeopathic quantity used at each watering and which turns watering into the gentlest, most sustained form of organic feeding. One part stock to 40 parts water is a liquid feed to be applied to growing plants at the start of the moon's fourth quarter. One part stock to 30 parts water is a powerful feed suitable for crops such as tomatoes that are well-established.

6. In the cool of the evening, apply the solution with a watering can with a rose - directly on to the plants' leaves as a foliage feed, or on to the soil.

7. Kept ikn its container, comfrey stock will not deteriorate. Aim to end the growing season with a full container so that the feed can be applied the moment watering begins the following spring.