You can protect newly planted vegie seedlings from particularly windy weather with a cover using fleece fabric, fine insect mesh or shade cloth. It's best to lay it over hoops to keep the fleece up off the plants but, for small seedlings, you can gently place it directly on them for the first week or so after planting out. Weigh it down at the sides and ends so it can't be blown away.

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Don't forget that soil left bare can very quickly lose moisture, especially on warmer, windy days, so ensure any bare soil is mulched to retain as much moisture as possible and to reduce weeds.

Broad beans should be harvested constantly to ensure a continuous crop. They begin to ripen from the base up, so check the lower part of the plant first.

Broad beans can be harvested when the pods are around 5-8 cm/2-3 inches long or they can be left to mature and just the beans used. To harvest, twist off or snip with a pair of scissors or secateurs; don't pull them off as it can snap the branches.

At their smallest size, while the beans are still young and tender, the whole pod can be cooked and eaten, pod and all. For podded beans, pick the pods when they reach 20- 30cm long and as thick as your thumb. Let them get too big and they tend to lose their tender texture and sweet flavour. Shell by splitting the pod and popping the beans out ready to eat raw, add to salads or simply sauté.

Broad beans store well, either by drying or freezing. Shell the fresh pods, put the beans in a plastic bag and freeze or put the beans in a dry place and leave to completely dry.

Keep a close eye on emerging seedlings to ensure they are not going mouldy or damping off. This is caused by sowing too thickly and over-watering, but is easily fixed by thinning out the tiny plants.

Tomato, cucumber, pumpkin, squash and zucchini seedlings need to be protected from frost for another few weeks - many say Melbourne Cup is the time to plant out frost-tender vegies.

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