To say I was surprised by this announcement would be an understatement — stunned more like, not to say angry. My kids were being subjected to high levels of chemicals, not just from carrots, but presumably from all sorts of other supposedly 'healthy' food. And there was no way to tell: you certainly couldn't distinguish a carrot full of pesticides from one that wasn't, just by looking at it.

I also realised something else: carrots are a root vegetable. And if a root is surrounded by something, it takes it in and absorbs it, like a sponge. So peeling a carrot wasn't going to do much good, if problem was an excessive level of chemicals.

I was living in an area with no organic retail outlets. The only supermarket was K**kS*ve. I had no transport. The only solution was to grow my own. So that is what I did — with no previous experience of gardening (apart from my cactus collection). If you've got a good enough reason, you can do anything.

That was 12 years ago now, and I haven't looked back. Not only have I grown lots of really nice food (much tastier than shop-bought stuff), but I've had fun doing it, too.

So, if you have any experience of gardening, or none, visit GardenZone and I will show you how to get started. Exactly what to do, in English, not garden jargon (you will get to know what terms mean, but to start with they are too confusing).

How to plant tree ferns

Tree ferns don’t need a rich or deep soil. They will survive happily even in very poor or stony soil. Ideally a slightly acid soil (adding ericaceous compost will help) is preferable and a light dressing with blood and bone meal will give plants plenty of food to start them off. If you’ve purchased a smaller plant just dig a hole big enough for root ball.

Tree fern trunks will need a hole slightly bigger than trunk and 4 to 6 inches deep depending on length of trunk. Plant them and firm them in but make sure they are upright then weight of trunk will keep it stable. After a few weeks it will make its own roots to secure itself.

Feeding plant

The tree fern will need feeding from time to time. If you have planted it in shade under a canopy of larger tree your tree fern will extract some nutrients from decaying leaf-fall. They will still need some extra feed and one of best around is one called Maxi Crop. Maxi Crop is made from seaweed; it is easily available and contains a good range of nutrients and minerals. Follow manufactures instructions for dilution and feed well at least every two months.

Surviving winter

Generally Cyathea and Dicksonia are hardiest of most commonly available tree ferns. They are naturally evergreen and should survive quite happily through a normal winter. Before worst of winter starts you will need to place a wedge of straw down centre of plant (where fronds grow from) to keep worst of frost out.