Create a SMALL VEG PATCH

Setting up a veg patch takes less space than you might think – just consider your priorities

Asmall garden veg patch isn’t ideal for bulky crops that are cheap to buy, such as onions or potatoes, slow-maturing leeks, or stands of windpollinated sweetcorn. But there are an awful lot of other things to try, and a space that’s just 1.5x2m (5x6½ft) can produce a wealth of tasty things to eat, all year round.

Edging the veg patch with boards keeps things neat; raised beds are also a good choice. If you want to keep your options open, moveable timber planters are ideal.

Remember that most crops prefer a sunny spot – especially tomatoes and beans, which need pollinating in order for their fruit to set. In a shadier location, salad leaves and root veg are more tolerant. Herbs such as mint, parsley and chervil crop generously whatever their location, but fussy basil demands warmth and light. Grown over winter, garlic actively needs a period of cold, while salad leaves including rocket, land cress and mizuna are surprisingly hardy, too.

Veg plants prefer ‘good living’, so improve the soil with homemade compost or well-rotted manure and feed and water well while crops are growing. There’s no need to dig organic matter in; just mulch annually.

To get high yields from a small space takes organisation. Sown directly, rocket and radishes sprout in a matter of days and you can create a succession of crops by germinating a selection of seeds on the windowsill in anticipation. Starting off plants such as dwarf beans, mangetout and lettuce indoors also helps to protect them from mice and slugs.

In a small veg patch, conventional crop-rotation isn’t necessary, but think about what you want to grow, when. Beans, carrots, beetroot and salad crops are great summer staples, and you can train trailing squash up a trellis, if you support the fruit.

Edible flowers and colourful salad leaves are an attractive addition between crops and around the edges of your patch. Just remember that when fast-growing plants are packed together in a sunny spot, dry roots can lead to powdery mildew, so make sure you water well. ➤

Even a small patch can produce a wealth of tasty things to eat, all year round

Trailing squash can be trained up an ornamental support and grown together with pretty sweet peas

A trellis screen doubles as a divide and support

Edge veg beds with timber planks to keep plantings neat and tidy

Fennel and kohlrabi are easy in a raised bed

Carrots Dwarf beans Beetroot seedlings