Best veg plants for novices

Beetroot is very easy to grow, and takes up little space. You’ll normally be able to simply plant it, water it and then harvest it a few weeks later with very little intervention required in between! Plus, you can see how big the roots are as they crown above the surface, so you can easily see when to harvest them.

Of all the leaves, we reckon Rainbow Chard is the easiest to grow at any time of year. Plant it, water it, then pick the outer leaves as and when you want to use them. They are fairly tough plants and as long as you keep them protected from slugs in the early days, they should do just fine.

You need to provide a trellis or some chicken wire for mangetout peas to climb, then simply pop the plants in 10cm apart along the bottom of the trellis and keep them well watered. The only thing they don’t really like is wind, so choosing a sheltered spot is good. Other than that they are very easy to grow, and after their beautiful sweetie-like flowers you’ll get loads of pods to pick!

Dwarf varieties are a little easier to grow than climbing varieties purely because they don’t need a wigwam support. You can just plant them in neat rows, approximately 20-25cm apart and keep them well-watered and slug-free. They are great for pots too. You’ll get a good crop over several weeks.

Courgettes are SO easy to grow. They just need a bit of space and plenty of water, and they’ll go crazy providing you with lots of lovely fruit for several weeks. You may notice a white/grey mould on the leaves towards the end of the season, but this is very normal and nothing to be alarmed by!

There is nothing easier to grow! They are quick to grow, too. Just plant them, water them, and then harvest them a few weeks later. Easy as pie.

Lettuces are very easy to grow. You just need to keep the slugs off, and make sure they don’t get to hot or dry and they will do really well. To this end, we’d recommend planting them in a spot that gets some light shade during the day, and keeping them well watered.