Gardening

Growing Your Own Vegetables

Welcome to our new web page for aspiring vegetable growers…..

Why have we introduced this page now ?

The cost-of-living crisis has produced a new awakening in home fruit and veg growing.

Allotments are now in high demand and have long waiting lists in most areas. Many are looking instead to neglected corners of their own gardens for possible savings on their food bills, but aren’t sure how to go about it, or how much time, money and effort it will involve.

There’s also a less obvious advantage to gardening - its effect on our physical and mental well-being. Our busy and stressful lives mean that we are all at heightened risk of stress-related illness, and gardening has been known for centuries to have beneficial therapeutic properties - both physical and mental. Although gardening has traditionally been most popular amongst our more senior citizens, it’s probably no coincidence that younger generations are now also taking an interest – and in significant numbers.

Gardening seems to be ‘going viral’ this year – even on ‘younger’ platforms such as TikTok, with social media influencers now flocking to the subject. If nothing else, gardening provides a way to escape from our smartphone addictions and get some much needed spiritual relief from our ‘always on’ rat race….

This page is aimed at those who already have access to a garden and are thinking about making use of part of it to grow vegetables, but aren't sure where to start. It’s designed to look at the basics of what’s necessary to set up a successful kitchen garden from scratch, and will also consider some of the pitfalls, and of course the costs, involved in setting up and maintaining a new plot.

It's not intended to be definitive - we’re aiming more at whetting your appetite for 'growing your own', rather than trying to teach you to be an expert gardener from day 1…

For anyone still brave enough to want to contemplate a project after reading this, read on, and we’ll try to point you in the direction of some of the more useful sites available online for some more expert advice.

Figure 1: Medium Sized Vegetable Patch with Good Access

First Steps

Where should I set up my first vegetable patch ?

Although it may seem obvious, to get the best results you need to focus on a spot in your garden where your vegetables are most likely to thrive. That means finding a site that gets lots of direct sunlight (on the rare days when we actually get any in UK!), and receives ideally around six to eight hours a day of unshaded daylight on average throughout the year. Some vegetables will grow happily in shadier spots, though none will really thrive in full shade, so avoid anywhere with overhanging trees or located permanently in the shade of buildings. A south-facing aspect would also be a bonus.

Your site should also ideally be level and sheltered from strong winds that could potentially damage young plants. The soil should also drain well and definitely not be waterlogged in winter – an issue which is becoming increasingly important given that the UK’s climate seems to be getting wetter with more heavy rainstorms and flooding each winter. Few vegetables will grow well underwater, if at all !

It’s also important for your site to have convenient access via established well-surfaced paths, and preferably also to be near a water source. This will avoid you having to wade through mud in the winter, or being saddled with long journeys carrying watering cans during the drier seasons. Finally, if possible, the soil should be rich and fertile; if not, measures can be taken to improve things (e.g. applying nutrients, using raised beds or outdoor planters) if the soil is not naturally suitable for growing vegetables to start with.

See Figure 1 at the end of this text for an example of a medium-sized vegetable patch with good path access

How big should I make my patch ?

For back-yard and small garden ventures, the size will most likely be constrained by the garden space you have available. However big your garden, the secret, if you are new to the game, is to start small. Doing it this way allows you to appreciate the art of growing veg, and to achieve the satisfaction of actually producing something first time round. There there is also less risk of your new plot getting weedy and unmanageable too quickly, and bringing your interest in 'growing your own' to a premature end.

By starting small you can also get a feel for how long things take to grow and nurture, and assess the time and effort involved in weeding, watering, fertilizing and harvesting. These key tasks can all can take up a lot more time than you first expect and it’s best to assess this before you spend a lot of time (and money!) trying to ‘run before you can walk’ with an overambitious project. If things go well, you can then ‘upgrade’ to a larger patch if you have the space – or even take on an allotment if you’re really hooked.

Do I have the right soil type ?

Your soil quality will be the most important element of any success. Take the opportunity to test the soil in your chosen patch to check its type, pH, and nutrient make-up before planting anything. This will help you determine what you are working with, and give you a chance to make any adjustments, if required.

A simple pH test will tell you how acidic or alkaline your soil is - ideally it would be neutral (ca pH 7.0) as that is best for most plants. For a vegetable garden, the soil type should ideally be loose and well-draining. Clay soils can be very heavy and sandier soils too light – the structure, fertility and soil health of any garden can be boosted by adding compost, well-rotted manure, or organic matter into the site and continuing to do so year-on-year. (See our composting page for tips on how to make and apply your own compost). Additional bought-in fertilisers can also be used to provide a short-term boost that plants will benefit from, but these will cost you more.

How should I manage my patch ?

Once you have identified the ‘perfect’ spot for your new veg patch, and checked out its soil condition and suitability, the next step is to consider how you want to manage it....and when best to start setting it up.

Traditionally, for established plots, growers dig their soil over every winter – either by single or double-digging – and work in lots of well-rotted manure or organic matter as part of the process. However, nowadays ‘no dig’, or ‘no till’, gardening is has caught on and is increasingly practised by experienced gardeners. The rationale for this trend (apart from avoiding all that extra digging!) is that too much digging and working of the soil is actually thought to harm the structure and disrupt the beneficial microbial life within the soil.

‘No Dig’ gardening involves laying a base level of cardboard and then mounding the compost or organic matter on top – adding to this each winter. The materials also smother weeds and enable worms to incorporate that compost down into the soil over time. It is now a very popular method of growing and has many benefits, but is not to everyone’s taste, and the result may look untidier than conventional tilled beds.

Alternatively, you can create part or all of your vegetable plot using raised beds. That does allow you to have more control over the soil that you are growing in, and can help restrict access to pests. The bed enclosures can be constructed from wood, bricks, metal or other materials, or from commercial construction kits. Do bear in mind the extra time, effort and expense of creating a raised bed before considering this, however.

See Figure 2 for an example of the use of raised beds.

The other option is to grow partly or exclusively in pots and containers. This can provide the opportunity to grow vegetables, even if you don’t have much outdoor space and can only grow on patios or in a balcony garden.

See Figure 3 - An example of a balcony garden.

When should I start Setting Up ?

Although many gardening sites claim that you can start at any time of year, the general consensus is that spring is the best season to choose to start in earnest. Not only will your soil be warming up nicely by that time, but the winter will have kept the weeds at bay and killed off many common pests. If you’ve already identified a suitable patch and don't mind taking things a little slower, you could usefully start preparing the ground in late autumn before the weather gets cold and wet, then take advantage of the winter frosts to help break up the soil ready for planting. You’ll also be able to root out any residual weeds which survived your autumn digging spree before you plant. One thing you should avoid is planting seeds or young seedlings in hot dry summer weather – at best you’ll spend a lot of time and effort watering them, at worst you’ll just lose the lot to heat stress….

Preparing the ground

Before you attempt to sow any seeds or put any plants in the ground, there is the important task of clearing the area and getting it into a condition suitable for your seeds or young plants. The amount of work involved will depend on where you are planning to site the plot, and what occupied the area previously.

Any rubbish, debris, bricks or large stones need to be removed and the soil needs to be cleared of any weeds, especially perennials. These must be removed fully with the roots to stop them coming back. You can either remove them by hand, smother them with coverings to deprive them of light, or burn them.

As a last resort you can also use herbicides, but if so, ensure you allow any residual herbicide remaining in the soil to dissipate and degrade before you plant your crops.

If you are planning to convert an area of lawn, the turf will also need to be lifted. If you lift an area of turf, remember to stack the excess upside down - it will then break down over a year or so to give you home-made compost that can go back onto the beds in due course. (If you know anyone planning to turf an area of their garden, offer them some of yours - you could even offer it on social media platforms).If you wish to, dig and turn the soil and break down any big clods and work in lots of compost or organic matter as you go before raking the bed level.

What Shall I Grow ?

Deciding on this is one of the most exciting parts of planning a vegetable garden. There is a huge and varied range of vegetables that you can grow in the UK, thanks to our relatively mild and moist temperate climate. However, perusing websites and seed catalogues can be quite daunting to a novice.

One thing that will help narrow down the bewildering choice available is to select the types of veg that you and your family like to eat best. There is always room for some experimentation, but the best way to start your selection is to take a vote on what you all like to eat regularly and focus on growing that initially.

An advantage to growing your own is that you can try other varieties of your favourite veg that aren’t easily available in the supermarkets or local grocers. Another good strategy is to start off with a selection of the easiest vegetables to grow. Good examples are lettuce, radish, peas, beans, carrots, kale, or beets. With these varieties, if you’ve prepared the ground properly, you should at least avoid a complete cropping ‘washout’ (unless the weather arranges this for you, of course!).

Another useful piece of general advice would be to avoid rushing things and learn to work with the prevailing seasons. Gardening takes time, and its principal satisfaction comes with seeing your plants develop in response to the care you give them. You can’t rush plant growth, and once you’ve grasped that key principle, you’ll learn to limit your expectations and ‘go with the flow’. There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing your carefully nurtured crop coming steadily to fruition – despite the unwelcome attentions of your local pest species.

Before you start sowing or planting, always look carefully at the advice on the seed packets…and follow it. This should help you to avoid making any common sowing mistakes. This valuable packaging info. is generally compiled by expert growers and is designed to give you the best chance of success.

Resisting the urge to skip all that boring preparation and ‘just get on with it’ can be easier said than done, though – we all want to try new things as quickly as possible and see results yesterday, but with gardening, as indeed with many things in this life, ‘more haste usually means less speed’ and planting too early and without adequate preparation rarely ends well.

How shall I grow my first crop ?

Having chosen your first crop, the next question is whether to grow the plants from seed, buy seedlings to pot up and grow on, or buy more developed specimens that can go straight out into the vegetable garden.

Each of these choices comes with its own pros and cons. For example, seeds are the cheapest way to grow vegetables, but they often require warmth to germinate them, and additional space & apparatus to propagate and grow them on.

Seeds can be direct-sown into the ground once the soil has warmed up in spring; root crops such as carrots and parsnips always need to be direct-sown, however the young seedlings may suffer pest or weather damage before they become properly established, and may need protecting if they are to thrive. You’ll also need to protect the seeds themselves during germination, and their tender (and juicy!) seedlings, from the unwelcome attention of your slug, snail and local bird populations – some stout netting may prove a good investment when the plants are at their most vulnerable.

See Figure 4 for an example of netting in action

Potted seedlings or ‘ready to plant’ specimens can be sourced online or in garden centres, but of course this will be a more expensive option. Pre-potted seedlings are generally cheaper, but will take longer to develop and may also suffer pest damage. Think about what works best for you in terms of budget, time and space and, if in doubt, try to keep things simple as possible.

Crop Rotation Planning

Although you might think it’s a bit early to be thinking about it rotation before you’ve even harvested your first crop, rotation is a useful practice for an established plot, and is worth being aware of it, even at this early stage. It’s really just a matter of applying common sense and good farming principles to your overall plan.

Crop rotation essentially describes the practice of planting different types of vegetables in different areas of the garden year-on-year. This offers several benefits, including preventing the build-up of disease organisms in the soil, and improving soil fertility, which will help you get bigger yields from your crops. Amongst other advantages, rotation works by using the ability of some crops to enhance the nitrogen content of the soil, which can then be used to fertilise the next crop along without the need for added supplements.

Another horticultural ‘trick up the sleeve’ used by experienced gardeners is companion-planting. This is an organic method of protecting crops from pests and diseases, and works by the simple process of planting mutually beneficial crops near each other. For example, some crops, for example alliums like onions and garlic, prevent pests from attacking others by the pungent smell that they emit. Companion-planting them alongside carrots for example, means the smell of the onions will deter carrot fly and enhance your carrot yield.

If you take the time to do some research beforehand, you’ll discover that both crop rotation and companion planting can be used to offer simple and organic pest and disease control for your vegetable garden without the need for expensive and potentially damaging pesticides, thus providing an easy win for the grower.

Longer Term Projects for Your Garden

For those who already have established a vegetable patch and want to try another growing project that should yield useful results, you might want to think about growing your own fruit.

Figure 5 provides a good example of what can be done in a relatively small space - choose your variety carefully though - fully-grown apple trees are not all this small !

This is of course a longer term venture, since small fruit trees of the type typically available from garden centres will take several years to grow to a size where they will bear useful quantities of fruit. Apple and pear varieties are probably the most popular UK tree-borne fruits and should thrive in most lowland areas of our islands, provided the soil and positioning is right. They can also be planted in areas of your garden not suitable for veg growing, and can also provide an impressive display of blossom in springtime.

Fruit bushes can yield quicker results, and will usually take up less space. Favourite choices are black- and red-currants, raspberries and gooseberries. Strawberries are a good choice for a ground growing fruit if you have plenty of border space, but beware of slugs and birds - they just love strawberries and are attracted by the bright red fruits. Vine plants are also becoming more popular in UK and the hardier white grape varieties are now thriving in the south and midlands as a result of global warming and consistently milder winters. If supported on a sunny south-facing wall or fence, they can crop well in the autumn.

Maintenance of bushes is relatively easy once they are established, and young plants are available to buy at many outlets in the late summer and autumn. Some bargains are to be had most years at the end of the autumn season – keep an eye on your local supermarket for price markdowns, but make sure any ‘sell-off’ specimens are still viable.

Final Thoughts

We hope this brief introduction to setting up you own vegetable plot has at least provided enough info. and inspiration for you to decide whether it’s really for you. If you are minded to look into it further, here are some useful links to check out for further insight…

Best of luck with your new project….

Reference Links:

1) https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/starting-a-new-vegetable-patch/

2) https://www.lovethegarden.com/uk-en/article/uk-vegetable-planting-calendar

3) https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/vegetable-crops-for-beginners/

4) https://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/expert-advice/how-to-grow/how-to-grow-vegetables-and-herbs/vegetables-all-year-round

5) https://sowmuchmore.co.uk/2023/01/13/easy-crops-for-beginners-and-how-to-grow-them/

6) https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/beginners-guide/fruit-basics

7) https://www.richardjacksonsgarden.co.uk/how-to-protect-your-plants-from-being-eaten

8) https://www.thompson-morgan.com/companion-planting-guide

9) https://www.haxnicks.co.uk/blogs/grow-at-home/beginners-guide-to-crop-rotation-in-the-vegetable-garden

Revised 20.2.25