Grow Your Own Way To A Tasty Summer!

Growing your own way to a tasty summer!

It’s a well-known fact that fruit, vegetables, salads and herbs taste even better when you’ve grown them yourselves! If you fancy giving it a go this year, then let us guide you through our outdoor kitchen…..

So…what to grow?

“Beans, beans good for the heart, the more you eat, the more you…..!”

Runner beans from the vine and peas from the pod are Britain’s most loved home grown vegetables.  What’s more…they’re “easy peasy” to grow too!

• Choose a warm and sunny spot in your garden or outdoor space.
• Keep them well-watered, and show your support throughout growth in deep, nutritious soil.
• Avoid frosts at all costs

Snip Tip: Beans can grow in any decent soil in the vegetable plot, the flower borders or even on the patio in any large container of good quality compost.

Starting with a seed? Pay attention to the information provided on the seed packets- they usually are the best bits of advice, and should tell you all you need to know for great results.

Snip Tip: Runner beans are known for needing warmth. We’d recommend investing in a propagator to give them the best possible start. Remember though, once they’ve grown too big, they’ll need to be kept somewhere warm until ready to plant out: so make sure you have a greenhouse, or plastic/ timber grow house at least. If you don’t, hold off until later in the year when it’s warmer.

So….what do you need to grow runner beans from seed? Here’s a handy checklist:

• Good compost
• Large growing cells/ inserts
• Propagator
• Fibre pots for transfer.

Snip Tip: Runner beans will grow very quickly, and will soon develop long stems before they can be planted out. Pinch the stems off to keep the plants tidy- they’ll soon produce more.

So…planting out into the big wide world.

• About 4 plants in a large grow bag is about right. Any more, and your plants won’t be able to breathe!
• Garden grown beans usually require a timber frame, bean poles or bamboo canes for support. We’d suggest using bean netting for them to scramble up too.

 

Salad and herbs.

Most salads are frost hardy and fast growing plants. If you can’t grow salads….then there’s really not much hope!

So….what to grow?

• Lovely Lettuce! Loose leaf varieties such as: lollo rossa, rocket and spinach are best for growing in containers because of their “cut and come again” tendancies.
• Rapid Radishes! Renowned for being the fastest growing salad ever! Be careful not to let them get too big though. This is a great one for getting kids involved- they won’t get bored of waiting!
• Beautiful Beetroot! They are shallow rooted, which makes them surprisingly easy to grow in containers. Tasty too!

There are two categories of herbs: perennial plants, which grow year upon year, or annual ones that need replanting every year.

Perennial Herbs:

Popular choices include thyme, rosemary, sage and mint, which are best bought as plants and grown on, as they will surely reappear every year. Grow in the vegetable plot, flower garden or in containers.

Annual Herbs:

Again, there are so many to choose from. Our faves are parsley, basil, coriander and oregano. All varieties will grow either in the garden or in containers, but will only last for one year.

Snip Tip: Grow small quantities of salad seeds at a time and repeat every 2 weeks. This will ensure you have a succession of plants, rather than harvesting them all at once and having to give them away!

Pest Control: Lettuce, for example, will need some protection from birds, slugs and snails. Invest in some netting, and other pest control forms.

Strawberries.

Bring the taste of summer to your garden this year and grow your own Pick Your Own site! Strawberries love warmth and sunshine when flowering and fruiting. Winter frosts are not really a problem for strawberries; some even claim that they’ll crop better after a hard winter. Strawberries need plenty of water, but be warned, they hate water-logged soil!

Strawberries can be grown just about anywhere. Plant them in the garden beds, strawberry planters, hanging planters or any large pots/ containers.

Snip Tip: If you’re not keen on sharing your strawberries, make sure to cover them with some netting to keep the birds out.

 

 

 

Tasty Tomatoes.

Where to grow?

Tomatoes love warmth and sunshine. Although greenhouses are the best solution to provide this, a warm and sunny spot on the patio or balcony will do just the job.

Top Tips for growing tomatoes:

• Tomatoes need warmth when they are young. Keep them sheltered and away from any sign of frosts to ensure a healthy crop.
• Keep them well watered and feed regularly with a high potash tomato feed to produce the tastiest fruits.
• Can be planted directly into soil, in a greenhouse or garden in any container big enough to provide enough soil and nutrients. Tomatoes can even be grown in hanging baskets/ containers- perfect for on a balcony!

You can grow tomatoes from seeds, or buy already established plants. Choose from tall, bushy or trailing varieties for hanging containers/ baskets depending on where you’re planning on growing them.

 

So, hopefully, you’ll now be clued up, and raring to get out in the garden and start growing your own tasty ingredients! Make sure to visit our Online Shop at www.crowders.co.uk for all the equipment you’ll need to get started, and get the best results from your garden this year. Good luck growers!