Grow your own - how to cultivate your own vegetable patch

Homegrown vegetables - how hard can it be?

There is something rather delectable about the taste of homegrown vegetables and there is something satisfying about preparing and serving them.

But how much of a faff is it?

Surprisingly not that much of a faff actually.  There are some basics to look out for;

• A good location – it needs to be sunny
• A good, well drained soil
• Plan your space – size does matter!
• Sheltered/stable space
• Ensure you can access in between your plants

You don’t need to have huge areas of space but you do need to plan wisely how you use your space and what to put where.  It’s also important to think about what vegetables you want to grow, what do you and your family eat most and how many are you looking to grow – don’t over plant else you may end up having veggies coming out of your ears!

What is best to plant when?

Anglain homes have created a fantastic cheat sheet on this here.

RHS also have a fabulous library of vegetables detailing how to grow and sow each one and common problems to expect.

 The top 10 easy to grow vegetables in the UK are:

• Salad leaves
• Radishes
• Potatoes
• Peas
• Spring Onions
• Broad Beans
• Runner beans
• Onions and Garlic
• Tomatoes

What to plant late summer

Hardy winter vegetables such as broccoli and kale will need to be planted late spring/early summer as they need a good amount of time to mature.

 Ideal for planting late summer are:

• Winter salad leaves
• Potatoes
• Asparagus
• Broad beans
• Onions
• Garlic
• Spring onions
• Peas
• Carrots
• Parsnips
• Spinach
• Cauliflower

Beware of caterpillars, flea beetles, slugs and cabbage whitefly. All of these pests will attack your lovely veggies.

Happy vegging folks!