A beginner’s guide to growing vegetables
IF YOU began growing veg during the pandemic and feel like spreading your wings in 2021, now’s the time to be planning ahead writes HANNAH
STEPHENSON.
Weather and soil allowing, you could be creating a new veg patch, choosing the seeds you want to sow and thinking about what you want to eat in the coming year.
“Always set aside more space than you think you need. Growing your own vegetables is really rewarding, so the more you do, the more you want to do,” says garden expert and broadcaster Pippa Greenwood, a Gardeners’ Question Time regular who offers ‘Grow Your Own with Pippa Greenwood’, a veg and advice service at pippagreenwood.com.
WHERE SHOULD I GROW VEG?
“A spot which gets plenty of sun for most of the day during summer. Plenty of light and the warmth of the sunshine make it much easier to grow the widest range of vegetables and to have the best results,” says Pippa.
WHAT ARE THE SOIL REQUIREMENTS?
“VEG plants have different needs, but on the whole a soil which holds water fairly well but which is also well-drained,” Pippa advises.
“Incorporating plenty of well-rotted manure, garden compost or other bulky organic matter will improve most soils, and many veg can be grown in large containers if garden space is in short supply.”
WHAT SHALL I GROW?
“THE important thing is to grow what you want to eat, not what someone says you should grow,” Pippa advises.
“I’d suggest growing some vegetables from young plants and some from seed. You might include courgettes, butternut squash, pumpkins, lettuce and salad leaves, sweetcorn, runner and climbing French beans, tomatoes (some varieties need a greenhouse), onions (easiest if you buy young plants or sets), potatoes, and garlic.
“Crops like carrots, spinach and rocket are definitely best raised from seed as I find they often don’t transplant well.”
“Salad leaves give the highest yield per area and are among the fastest vegetables between sowing and first harvests. Potatoes es grow easily and crop quickly, especially first and second earlies.
“Vegetables you can grow close together include salad leaves of any kind, onions and spring onions, spinach and carrots, also herbs such as coriander and basil.”
PITFALLS TO AVOID?
“THINK about quantities – you only need enough veg to eat yourself/for your family, some
to give to friends and in some cases, some to freeze. You don’t want a whole row of say, courgettes, or else you’ll end up wasting so many,” says Pippa.
“Don’t plant veg out too early unless you know they are really hardy. Most summer veg are best planted outside in May, but watch the weather! It is easy to be tempted into buying veg plants you’ll see for sale in March and April, don’t succumb.”