There are few things as satisfying to gardeners than harvesting home grown vegetables and enjoying how great they taste when compared to many bought varieties. Growing vegetables at home is not difficult but there are a few basic guidelines to follow if you are to avoid some of the more common mistakes. Stick to tried and tested methods, select reliable, hardy varieties and look forward to serving up your own vegetables just a few weeks or months later.
The television gardening programmes sometimes make things look very simple and growing vegetables is one task that the TV experts seem to accomplish with relative ease. Certainly producing a good crop of potatoes or a healthy looking bed of lettuce is not beyond the reach of most home gardeners, but those TV experts are calling on many years of experience. It certainly pays to put a little thought into your vegetable growing project before you start putting plants into the ground.
Producing a good crop of garden vegetables starts with good planning and careful consideration of a number of key points. How much space do you have? What type of soil do you have? Which varieties do you hope to grow? Do you have the right tools for the job? Have you thought enough about protecting your plants from pests? All these points are worth thinking about but perhaps the most important consideration is whether you'll be happy eating what you produce. There's no point in growing several kilograms of perfect Brussels sprouts if no-one in your family likes them.
If you are new to growing vegetables it will pay to keeps things relatively risk free to start with. Choose vegetables that are not difficult to grow like potatoes, cabbages or courgettes and do your research into which varieties are best suited to your soil conditions. Also get as much help as you can before you start. Books are a great source of information but nothing beats speaking to someone who has done it all before. Think about joining a local gardening club or allotment group. People will be more than happy to pass on their experiences to you.
Next comes selecting and preparing the ground for your plot. Will you need plenty of sunshine or will your vegetables prefer shade? Also is the plot fairly accessible? Your plants will benefit from much more attention if they are within sight and easy reach of the house. For many gardeners, pests can be the undoing of much good work and will often dampen any enthusiasm before it becomes established. A population of slugs can easily demolish a row of lettuces overnight, so be prepared to put some protective measures in place before they strike.
Allotments are becoming increasingly popular in the UK, especially for people who live in city flats and apartments and don't have the luxury of their own gardens. They also make a great starting point for vegetable growing even if you do have your own space at home. Allotments are full of friendly enthusiastic vegetable growers and are perhaps your best source of help and information in the early days. Even if you don't intend to use an allotment space yourself, a quick walk around one that is local to you will give you lots of ideas about what you might try to grow and you'll also be able to see the kind of plants that are thriving in your local conditions.
Having prepared your plot, thought about pest control and selected your varieties all that remains to be done is get some plants into the ground. Choose a reliable source of seed or purchase pre-sown plugs for a quicker start. Nothing beats standing back and admiring weed-free rows of newly planted vegetables that promise tasty and low-cost crops in the weeks ahead.
