Dip your toe in

Salad Planter

If you’re new to veg growing but unsure where to start, then we’re here to encourage you to dip your toe in. The best advice we can give you is to start with just a few easy-to-grow veggies that you can really enjoy.

Once you’ve grow a few, you’ll start to see how straightforward it is and then you can easily and confidently add some more veg plants to your plot as time goes on.

Choosing the first few veg plants to grow should be largely based on what you enjoy eating, but it’s worth making sure that they are nice, easy ones that will grow well for you without requiring anything complicated. Here are our top 5 ideas:

  1. Salads – lettuces and salad leaves take up very little space and if you harvest the outer leaves every so often you will be able to enjoy tasty salads throughout the summer. You’ll need to keep the slugs away, but other than that they are minimal effort and just need water and sunshine.
  2. Dwarf French or Runner Beans – you don’t need to worry about building supports for them to climb so you can simply pop them in a pot or into the ground and they’ll grow pretty well, and you’ll get a good harvest too. The key thing to remember is that they are thirsty little plants and will need a lot of watering.
  3. Tomatoes (Bush Varieties) – again, you won’t need to worry about climbing supports or pinching out. They’ll grow well in pots on a sheltered, sunny patio and this way there is less risk of them being attacked by aphids so it’s a little easier. They need a lot of watering, so give them a good drink every day.
  4. Courgettes, Pumpkins and Squash – they take up a bit more space, but are very easy to grow. You don’t really need to do anything other than watering them well. The most likely trouble you’ll come across is Powdery Mildew, which affects the leaves. But it’s not a huge problem and you can just pick off the affected leaves.
  5. Beetroot – they are really easy to grow and they don’t need very much space at all. Once planted, just water regularly and make sure they are kept weed free. You can grow them quite well in pots and containers too.

Another way of growing easily is to start off with one of our All-in-One Planters. Either way, don’t forget that we have loads of online growing guides to help you get started. Give it a go this spring, and if you’re enjoying it you can always get more seedlings later in the season to add to your veg patch.