Monday 12 May 2014

5 Of The Easiest Vegetables To Grow At Home

There's no better feeling than eating food that you have grown yourself. It's fun, healthy and will save you money. With a little know-how you can be eating fresh, delicious produce in no time. The best part is you don't need to be a farmer, you don't even need a garden to get started!

Let's kick things off with something literally anyone can grow.


Salad Box


A salad box is simply a small container that can support several different varieties of lettuce and other greens. What exactly you fill yours with is up to you. You can find attractive pre made wooden boxes at garden centres or you can make one yourself to fit your own requirements. They will thrive outdoors but can also do very well perched on your kitchen window.

There are hundreds of varieties of lettuce with which to fill your box. Most are easy to cultivate and can be picked throughout the year. This is one of my favourite things about growing lettuce, you won't ever experience waiting three months for harvest only to have your plant succumb to a disease at the last moment - leaving you with nothing.

Lettuce does well indoors and out, and in positions that receive five or more hours of sunlight a day. Afternoon shade is ideal as they lettuce will wilt if it is exposed to long periods of heat. Water frequently, but make sure you have adequate drainage!

You don't have to confine yourself to lettuce either. Coriander, dill and parsley will also do well in your salad box.


New Potatoes


Not a salad person? Potatoes are easily grown outdoors in large buckets or sacks.. They are not too fussy about the kind of soil used, and not too sensitive to over watering, needing a steady supply of water throughout the season.


Tomatoes


This most versatile of fruits is used across the world in all kinds of dishes, and is also packed full of goodness. There are hundreds of varieties to try, but unless you are an experienced gardener it is best to stick to the 'easier' and more predictable varieties, at least for now.

Tomatoes like a lot of sunlight, and can be grown indoors or out. Soil should be kept moist, with daily watering on hot days. A greenhouse is advised if growing outdoors due to our notoriously unpredictable and often wet weather.


Spinach


This superfood is not only delicious and nutritious,but very easy to grow. Spinach thrives in similar conditions to to those outlined above for the salad box, and indeed, you can add some to your box if you wish.

Leaves can be picked between late May and October for summer cultivars, and between October and April for winter cultivars.


Carrots


As with most root vegetables, you will need greater soil depth than you can generally provide inside for carrots, although it can be done. Carrots should be sown outdoors between March and July and harvested in late summer and Autumn. Watering should be kept to a minimum once seedlings have emerged from the ground.



No comments:

Post a Comment