So, BBC Gardeners’ World is going back to basics this year, replacing its trendy 60-minute format with the old 30-minute slots aimed at its core audience.

And judging by some recent research, it’s about time we went back to basics as far as growing our own is concerned.

Despite the rising popularity of the ‘grow-your-own movement, the majority of people are in the dark about when to plant some of the most popular fruit and veg, according to research by Gardeners’ World magazine, kicking off its Grow Yourself Healthy campaign for 2010.

Do you know exactly when to sow your runner beans, plant your onions and harden off tomatoes, or the best time for planting fruit trees and bushes?

Adam Pasco, editor of Gardeners’ World magazine, says: “It is perhaps not surprising that there is a great deal of ignorance about when to plant and grow, particularly given the 24/7 availability of fruit and vegetables in supermarkets.

“Perhaps this is also a reason many people are not as successful as they might be when giving it a go, but with the right knowledge, the results can be sensational.”

The research found that people were least knowledgeable about plums, with just one in five aware that October and November are the planting months, while people had the most knowledge about strawberries, with more than half getting the planting season between March and September right.

Fruits which are best planted between October and March include apples, blackberries and tayberries, blackcurrants, cherries, gooseberries, elderberries, quince, red and whitecurrants.

With vegetables, people knew most about planting onions and tomatoes, sowing onions outdoors between February and June and planting outdoor tomato plants in May and June.

Veg which can be sown outdoors from March onwards, depending where you live include beetroot, broad beans, Brussels sprouts, carrots, cabbages, leeks, peas and salad leaves.

Those who want to sow some early veg can do so indoors around February time, with the help of an abundance of products including heated propagators, self-watering seed-starting systems and light systems in which seed trays sit beneath a hood of fluorescent bulbs which provide the light needed for healthy vigorous growth.

Adam says: “By April, weather conditions will have warmed-up, and electric propagators are no longer essential, but remember that the later a crop is sown, the later it will mature.”

The Grow Yourself Healthy campaign, launched in this month’s issue of the magazine, centres on encouraging experienced gardeners to pass on their knowledge to less-experienced gardeners with a week of activity planned for a Grow Your Own Week in late March.