Growing vegetables

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Posted at 12:05PM, 11 March 2008 by Mary Cadogan - Food writer

I see the Jamie effect has spread to growing your own potatoes. Sales of Pentland Javelin seed potatoes have gone through the roof in garden centres since he showed us how to grow them in bags of compost. No need for even the smallest garden, a corner of a sunny patio or balcony will do fine.

My love affair with veggie horticulture started many years ago when I grew runner beans up a fence as a screen for my topless sunbathing and I've been tinkering about in the garden ever since.

Last year it got serious after watching Carol Klein's excellent series Grow Your Own Veg and I put my husband Mick to work knocking up raised beds for my salads, tomatoes, green beans, radishes, strawberries and all.

If you only have a small space, my tip is to use seed tapes - simply plant out the seed impregnated strips and off you go, no thinning out to do, less waste, and less work for results-driven gardeners like me. I also buy young plants rather than seeds of veggies such as courgettes, tomatoes, aubergines and peppers as you only need a few and if you grow seeds for just a small space you are left trying to find homes for all the plantlets you can't fit in. Salad leaves are just brilliant for the beginner as they grow quickly, especially rocket, mizuna and the salad mixes such as mesclun which you cut while young and they grow back again several times over the summer.

This year I have an extra challenge on my hands. I mentioned to my good friends Claudine and Marcel that I would love more space to grow veg and before I could protest Marcel had rotivated a big strip of land in his walled garden and handed me the key to the gate. So what can I grow that takes up loads of space? Well of course we're back to potatoes (I've gone for the deliciously waxy La Ratte, Roseval and purple-fleshed La Violette just for a bit of fun) and of course there are always melons, broad beans, onions, garlic, and raspberries which I reckon will take up about half the space I have. I feel duty bound to fill the whole patch to avoid appearing ungrateful so any suggestions would be much appreciated!

Comments

igglepiggle

12 March 2008, 8:41PM
igglepiggle

I`m going to be having a go at some container veg this year hoping that it will all turn out ok

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Truffle

15 March 2008, 2:52PM
Truffle

We keep trying but have never grown anything really successfully except a bay tree which seems unstoppable.

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laracroft

15 March 2008, 6:25PM
laracroft

I got some seed potatoes in bags - having a go tomorrow. No idea what I'm doing tho!

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Kerry

16 March 2008, 7:18PM
Kerry

Growing most veg is surprisingly easy, so all you about to try it, just go for it! The first potatoes I grew at home involved organic eating potatoes that had gone a bit sprouty, a dustbin and some compost! They were maybe a little small, but otherwise fine. Because I have a small garden I now focus on things that are more expensive to buy, such as herbs, strawberries, salads, peppers etc. I don't exactly lavish these with attention and I still end up with a surplus each year. My only warning to novices are that things like broccoli take up a surprisingly large amount of room, and that the entire garden ecosystem will attempt to eat your crop!!!

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James

17 March 2008, 3:38PM
James

Currant bushes take up lots of space and keep fruiting for years. Strawberries do take up lots of space too - because they taste so good when you grow your own that you keep planting more and more each year. Vegetable spaghetti - you should definitely plant that because I've never seen it in a shop. The inside texture is like spaghetti strands, but succulent like marrow when cooked - has to be experienced to be believed. Currant bushes take up lots of space and keep fruiting for years. Strawberries do take up lots of space too - because they taste so good when you grow your own that you keep planting more and more each year. Vegetable spaghetti - you should definitely plant that because I've never seen it in a shop. The inside texture is like spaghetti strands, but succulent like marrow when cooked - has to be experienced to be believed.

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James

17 March 2008, 3:38PM
James

Also nothing beats fresh peas - they're so good home grown you can eat them raw while you shell them. Pea and mint sorbet is just so good too. Spinach or kale - some neighbours grew this and it took over the garden like a monster from Doctor Who. A mouch more earthy flavour than shop brough, and because it wilts when you cook it you need a sizeable volume, so need to grow loads (more space taken up). Also you can just plant more of everything, blanch it and freeze it for the winter months when you can just microwave it or re-blanch straight from the freezer. Hot raspberry meringue from frozen berries is great in the winter.

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mrs shep

18 March 2008, 4:14PM
mrs shep

I have a very small garden so last year grew tomatoes & peas in hanging baskets. These were from seeds specifically for baskets and I have to say the results were really good. Very little maintainance and no weeding required. Will be doing the same this year and including strawberries. Also grew a variety of salad leaves in pots and they supplied me all thro' the summer. Much cheaper and the taste was far superior. Have a go its well worth it!

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Hanna

27 March 2008, 10:37AM
Hanna

Argh, I wish I had at least that little balcony, but no.. I have herbs growing, but vegetables is perhaps little too much to grow totally inside.

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janeykuchen

24 April 2008, 5:35PM
janeykuchen

Hanna you could grow peas indoors, they're much like weet pea flowers, you can get dwarf variety , plant them in a large plastic flower pot [cheap from supermarket] and keep the watered as they grow, in as sunny window if you can, they have a very pretty flower and yummy little pods full of sweet little peas that you can eat raw or cooked!you can also grow a potted bell pepper,get a small plant from a nursery or garden centre and grow in your kitchen they're aceand dead easy!

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mamamammy

15 May 2008, 9:54AM
mamamammy

I absolutely cannot wait to get out of this flat (where even the balcony does not allow for more than a few herbs or strawbs :( ) I grew up in my grandfaterhs garden, growing just about every fruit and veg you cna imigine plus tending the herb and flower beds. We even had two apple trees, one eating one cooking. My happiest memories and tastiest food ever came from that garden. What more, it was only a smallish garden, you average town garden i guess but he found a way to arrange it so he had a small lawn for our paddling pool and a compost heap and two greenhouses. Goes to show if you have any garden space AT ALL there is something you can do if you fancy having a go. The minute we get to move from here my kids will e following in my footsteps. You cannot beat it and with the rising cost of everything and the dwindling green grocers and markets (around here at least) there could not be a better solution.

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