IT IS a time of great celebration. The swallows have arrived, the daffodils are out at last, the Gardeners' World Magazine is incredibly heavy, and I have made it into the poly tunnel.

I have started sowing the seeds that will turn into the plants that will fill all my raised beds and tubs, and that will fill my and many other stomachs from late summer onwards.

My favourites are the tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. You know that they will soon swell and fill with flavour. You can almost taste the juice running down the back of your throat, and see the pips spurting out from the taut, skin-tight bundles.

Peas and beans are fun too. The seeds are large and easy to handle.

They germinate really quickly, and send up large leaved shoots. Cabbages on the other hand seem a little bit of a let-down. The small seed takes ages to germinate, and then do nothing for the whole season. But then, they suddenly spring into action, and put on lots of big leathery foliage.

The great thing about cabbages is that by using different varieties, you can have cabbage at any time of the year. Of course, it will require planning, as the different varieties need planting at different times.

They all need a firm, well-drained soil. A site that has been used for a previous crop that has been manured is ideal. They also need a pH of 6.5 to 7.0, so it is wise to check this and apply lime if necessary.

The seeds of summer cabbages can be sown at intervals from March to May to give firm heads from July to November. For a slightly earlier crop, sow the seeds indoors in January and February.

The seeds of winter cabbages and Savoys are sown in May and June and the plants thinned out or transplanted from July onwards. The heads will be ready for harvesting from November until the end of January. Some of the newer varieties survive very well through the winter.

Savoy cabbages are hardy members of the Brassica family, thriving in cold damp winters, and stand up to hard frosty conditions, which would destroy most other crops.

The seeds of spring cabbage are sown in July or August to provide sturdy plants for setting out in September and October. They overwinter and will be ready for harvesting the following April and May. The plants can be planted out at 6 inch intervals and two out of three plants can be used as spring greens, leaving every third cabbage to mature to a firm head. Boost their growth with a feed in the spring when the plants start to grow again with a high nitrogen fertiliser such as sulphate ofammonia or dried blood.

If clubroot tends to be a problem, the seeds can also be sown in pots or trays in the greenhouse or coldframe and when the seedlings have formed two leaves transplant to 3 inch cell trays. Grow on until they are 3 ins-4 ins inches tall and then transplant them to their final positions. This gives the plant chance to get a good root system before being exposed to the virus.

Harvest the heads as required, depending upon the variety. Remove any yellowing or dead leaves as you pick.

Summer cabbages are grown as annuals. Sowing to harvest time is 2035 weeks for red and autumn cabbages; 28 weeks for winter cabbages and around 32 weeks for Savoys.

Which means that by the end of July, I shall be breaking out the coleslaw; as long as the carrots haven't succumbed to root, fly that is. . .

JOBS THIS WEEK Place support around oriental poppies.

They are about to rise up quickly, and will send out long stems with heavy flower heads on top. A bit of forethought helps them to blossom for longer.

Feed all of your spring bulbs. They will soon be starting to store up energy for next year.

Sow sweetcorn in toilet tubes. This allows the roots to develop without disturbance.

AROUND THE WORLD ONE of Japan's leading supermarkets is to start stocking quarter-sized cabbage as part of a new dwarf vegetable range for single people. A growing number of people, especially in urban areas, live alone and they cannot consume large vegetables by themselves.

The mini versions of traditional vegetables have been developed by Switzerland's biotechnology firm Syngenta Seeds, which prides itself on serving growers' individual requirements.

The firm first developed a much smaller version of the Japanese giant radish, which is just 20-25 centimetres long. The dwarf radish's popularity has led Aeon to decide to stock other mini vegetables at 270 Jusco stores across the country from November.

The launch of a pumpkin-for-one is also in the pipeline Previous Japanese innovations have included square watermelons which are easier to cut and don't roll off the fridge shelf.

Brigid presents Ask about Gardening every Sunday on BBC Radio Cleveland 95FM from 1-2pm.

Questions will be answered on the day by e-mailing Cleveland. studios@bbc. co. uk, texting 07786200995 or phoning (01642) 225511. Alternatively, send questions to brigidpress@hotmail. com or The Clow Beck Centre, Old Spa Farm, Croft-on-Tees, Darlington, DL2 2TQ