While you are busy sowing and nurturing your flower seeds, why not take a punt on growing some veggies from seed this year?
While the weekly shop gets more and more expensive, wouldn’t it be good to be able to wander out into your garden and pick some tomatoes for your sandwich or some potatoes for your Sunday lunch.
You don’t need to have a huge garden to do this. You can equally grow plentiful vegetables in whatever suits the space you have; a few pots, containers, or just a couple of balcony boxes, you too can grow your own.
Experiment
Experimentation is key. Now I know from experience I can grow tomatoes, peppers, green beans, and potatoes. I’ve struggled with cucumbers, and my cabbages and brussel sprouts were a bit hit and miss. I haven’t ever tried growing lettuces, radishes and beetroot, just as a personal choice, but if you like these vegetables, then just give it a go. What do you have to lose?
Consider Your Space
Make sure to choose the right container size for the thing you are growing. For example, small plants, like herbs or lettuce, are good in containers around 6-8 inches deep. Whereas, tomatoes and peppers require deeper containers of around 12-18 inches.
I love to grow pumpkins, but unless your growing the smaller variety, they really do take up a lot of space.
Arches come in useful for growing pumpkins, cucumber and varying squashes. The up-and-over style of growing gives a great showy centrepiece, and makes use of vertical spaces, as opposed to horizontal space.
Choose Your Container
You can use whatever you like, from an old flowerpot, bucket or baskets. Just make sure there is plenty of drainage in the bottom. You can easily drill a hole in the bottom of a bucket for such a purpose or reuse your old compost bags.
I personally love a repurposed container, an old sink, an old bucket, recycling something so that it stays out of landfill is kinder to the environment, and the more obscure they are, the better they look.
Vegetables need a good 6-8 hours of direct sunlight a day so consider where your plants are going to be.
Start with some good quality compost. Sow your seeds, or plant your seedlings, nurture them and watch them grow.
Watering
When seedlings are very young, a fine mist can be used to water them. Once they start to grow, watering from the bottom of the pot encourages root growth, which in turn means stronger, healthier plants, and prevents the leaves from getting wet and having fungal problems. This can be done by sitting your plants in a tray of water. This enables them to absorb the water from the bottom up.
The watering rule I work by is to poke my finger into the soil, and if the top inch or so feels dry, then I water.
Vegetable seedlings should be watered every couple of days but more frequently if the soil dries out quickly due to heat or light. Your soil should be moist, not soggy. Overwatering a plant can lead to root rot and damping off. Always make sure you have good drainage wherever you are planting them.
Once outdoors, water thoroughly to keep the soil moist, particularly for the first couple of weeks. You can then gradually reduce your watering as they become more established.
Depending on what you are planting into it will depend on how you water. Coco coir may need watering more often than say if you are planting outside into clay-based soil, which tends to hold onto the moisture, meaning you can water less.
Enjoy!
The best part after tending to them and watching them grow is the joy of harvesting your bounty, even if it is just the trusted tomato, which is a great place to start, or something entirely more adventurous.
Happy planting!
