TIPS, tips and even more tips — 150 of them, to be precise.

That figure forms part of Richard Jackson's book title - 150 of my best Ever Gardening Tips — which, for a little over a tenner, makes for pretty tasty value.

Jackson bases his top tips on learning from leading gardeners and ensuring that all the advice works for him, whether it is conventional practice or the quirky variety.

The book delves into a host of situations ranging from the value of planting bulbs and growing the tastiest crop of broad beans to punishing pests and keeping a potting shed tidy. Some neat humour has been sown too . . . or should that be puns? "Pea in the gutter," "Basil faulty?" "Do a runner" and "Save a mint" are among the "aahs" or "aarghs", depending on your pun tolerance.

Pea in the gutter? Jackson's tip No 46 suggests sowing early peas in an old piece of guttering, the seeds one-and-a-half inches apart, keep on a windowsill or in a greenhouse and, when the seedlings have a few leaves, slide the plants out of the guttering straight into a shallow trench in your veg plot. Simples, eh?

● Published by Jigsaw Marketing & Media at £10.75.