If you’re looking to fill your garden with fresh greens and delicious vegetables this summer, then an expert recommends planting these hardy and low maintenance plants
With the sun finally coming out, many of us are giving gardening our first go – luckily, an expert says these five vegetables are among the easiest to grow. Even better, they’ll count towards your five a day.
There are a whole host of benefits to cultivating your own crops. Not only will it get you outside enjoying the fresh air you can also save money on supermarket produce. Plus, it’s better for the environment too, as you’re not purchasing imported food spritzed with nasty pesticides.
The only issue is it can be hard to know where to start – especially with the UK’s unpredictable weather. Fortunately, Ceri Thomas from Which? Has advised planting these five easy-to-grow veg.
Lettuce
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This leafy veg is a great option for salad-lovers as it’s easy to grow and can save you a couple of quid at the supermarket. Ceri suggests that they can be grown from seed or in a container – making them easy to cultivate.
Lettuce can be grown outdoors from mid-March in loose, well-drained soil. Alternatively, you can grow lettuce seeds in seed trays indoors.
Beans
Many of the beans you see in the supermarket are imported – so why not grow your own? Ceri recommends growing runner beans and French beans, as both are easy to plant.
Runner beans will produce crops for months if picked regularly. Meanwhile, French beans take about eight weeks to mature and will crop for about a month.
Courgettes
One courgette plant will produce three or four fruits per week during the summer, meaning you will truly get a bang for your buck. Even better, they don’t take up much room. Ceri advises: “Courgettes are perfect for patio containers – keep them well watered and pick the fruit regularly.”
Tomatoes
These sweet red vegetables are an instant crowd-pleaser. You can stick them in a pasta sauce, a curry or even a quiche, making them incredibly versatile.
Ceri writes: “Tomatoes are easy to raise from seed in March on a warm, well-lit windowsill.” But if you want to plant them outside, you can do so in late May or June when the frost has passed.
Potatoes
These are another British staple that you can easily grow in your garden. Fry them, mash them, boil them or turn them into chips – potatoes are filling and delicious.
Depending on the variety, they can either be planted in late March or April and can be harvested in as little as three months. They’re relatively low maintenance, but you should care to give your potato plants about two to three inches of water per week.