Easy Grow Vegetables
Over the past 2 or 3 years, allotmenting has seen somewhat of a renaissance. With spiraling food prices and increasing environmental awareness, it is no wonder that growing your own vegetables for the kitchen table has broken free from the usual suspects. Younger generations are now appreciating this highly rewarding past time and waiting lists for new allotment plots are now increasing.
The absolute beginner
So let’s say you have a new plot or patch in your garden that you’ve dedicate for the growing of vegetables. The eyes of your neighbours, family and friends are now firmly pinned on your project and await good results. Your reputation hangs on success and you don’t want all of your hard work to be in vain.
Here is a list of excellent ‘easy grow‘ vegetables to sow from seed and a little advice to get the best out of your veg patch. You are sure to get a good crop, save money and fill your stomachs with great tasting fresh greens.
Lettuce
Can be sown directly into the ground for most of the year. Will produce a crop within a month or so an looks great in the ground and on the table. Slugs and pigeons may prove to be a problem.
Runner Beans
Very easy to grow and will quickly ramble up sticks, trellises, hedges and even over a garage or shed! Need very little care and attention. In saying that, you will have your work cut out for you though as you will be forever picking lovely and tasty beans! Sow into the ground during the latter end of May.
French Beans
Some varieties are self-supporting and bushy (recommended). Grow in the same manner as Runner Beans.
Peas & Mangetout
Very easy to grow. Sow directly into the soil from March onwards. Will quickly entwine around netting, sticks, chicken wire, etc. You must protect them from pigeons and other birds. Tie old CDs or bits of silver foil to string and hang it around the pea plants to scare off most warm blooded pests.
Radish
Sow directly into the grow, thin out and eat! Very easy
Sweetcorn
Sow during the latter end of April either in 1 per pot/plug or directly into the ground. Plant them in block formation to aid wind pollination. They grow quickly and look great.
Swiss Chard
Sow into finely raked soil and thin out. Pick the leaves and leave the plant in the ground to produce a continuous crop.
Spring Onions
Sow directly into the soil. Thin out. Spring Onions tend to be problem free although slugs may cause some damage during wet weather.
Asparagus Pea
Sow directly into the ground in late spring. Needs very little attention. Looks good in a border or even rockery!
Closing advice
It barely needs saying – you will need to check your crop on a daily basis. Make sure that your seedlings are watered and no weeds are competing with them. I like to sow my vegetable seed in rows and cover them with lines of compost. This makes it both easier to direct the watering efforts and identify which seedlings are weeds and which are the actual plants. If most of the seedlings look the same and there are a few ‘strangers’ in the neighbourhood, then you can guarantee that these misfits are unwanted weeds.
There are plenty of other vegetables from seed to try. If you are an absolute beginner, I would avoid most of the Brassica family (Cabbage, Cauliflower, Broccoli) root vegetable, etc. Try those next year once you have seasoned your experiences as a vegetable grower.
Thompson and Morgan now sell the ‘Easy Grow Vegetable Collection‘ (10 packets of seed for only £9.99).