Almost any vegetable you can buy seed for can be grown in the garden or on the patio. Just follow the instructions for best times to sow and plant out.
Remember some plants are not hardy and could be damaged by the frosts that are common in the UK until the middle of May in the south, and as late as early June in Scotland.
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Tender vegetable plants |
Hardy vegetable plants |
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Potatoes, Tomatoes, Runner Beans, Dwarf French Beans, Aubergine, Marrow, Courgette, Sweet Pepper, Cucumber, Sweetcorn, Calabrese |
Cabbage, Cauliflower, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Kale, Sprouts, Carrots, Onion, Shallot, Leek, Lettuce, Pea, Parsnip, Radish, Spinach, Swede, Turnip |
Getting The Best Results
- Gradually improve your soil with bulky organic matter wherever you are growing vegetables other than root crops.
- Feed the soil before you plant so that it is full of vital nutrients to help produce a tasty crop quickly.
- Plant or sow at the correct time giving the crop enough room to grow unhindered.
- Water whenever the soil or compost is drying out.
- Keep weeds at bay. They will compete with your vegetables for light, moisture and plant foods. Get rid of them with the right weedkillers suggested in the ‘weed control’ section.
- Watch out for pests that want to eat your crop before you do. Cabbage caterpillars are notorious for destroying brassicas. Whitefly can ruin your tomatoes and the roots of your carrots can be tunnelled by the maggot of the carrot fly. Take the appropriate action recommended in the ‘pest & disease control’ section of this website.
