We’ve put together some useful ideas for you to help you decide what to grow this year. If you’re growing in a small space, new to growing veg, need some ideas for a shady garden…we’ve got some suggestions for you! We haven’t included advice for those growing in larger gardens and allotments, because we think you can probably squeeze in most crops, but if you have any other things you’d like ideas for, just drop us a message and we’ll see if we can put together a few more suggestions in our next Veg Out newsletter!
First Time Growers
These plants are easy to grow and a good way to dip your toe in the water with growing your own food. You won’t need to worry about building supports, or earthing up or staking or anything else that requires gardening jargon. Just plant them in pots or in raised beds in a sunny spot in spring, and water regularly and they should do fairly well.
- Courgettes
- Dwarf Beans
- Lettuces & Salad Leaves
- Spinach & Chard
- Bush Tomatoes
- Beetroot
- Spring Onions
- Herbs
- Strawberries
Growing in the Shade
If your garden gets little sunlight, there are still things you can grow. They will need some sunshine, but with a couple of hours of sunshine here and there, you can still expect to get some harvestable crops. We’ve grown all the plants below in north-facing beds that only get a couple of hours sunshine in the morning and evening:
- Lettuces
- Salad Leaves
- Cauliflower
- Cabbage
- Spinach & Chard
- Coriander, Parsley, Chervil
Growing in Small Spaces
These plants can all be planted reasonably close together and take up minimal space while they are growing. Great if you just have a couple of smaller raised beds, or planters. You can also grow them in pots and grow bags quite happily.
- Lettuces
- Wild Rocket
- Mizuna & Frills Mustard
- Spring Onions
- Beetroot
- Dwarf Beans
- Baby Sweetcorn
- Carrots
- Leeks
- Peas
Growing in Window Boxes
Choose deep 20cm window boxes, and as long as you fill with good quality compost and water/feed during the summer, you can actually grow a fair bit of food on windowsills or on a balcony.
- Spring Onions
- Wild Rocket, Mizuna & Frills Mustard
- Herbs
- Lettuces
- Coriander, Basil, Parsley, Thyme, Chervil
On a Budget
These plants are ones that will keep cropping for a long time, and give multiple pickings per plant. They’re a good way of getting the most bang for your buck! You could also check our new Money Saving Veg Collection
- Lettuces & Salad Leaves
- Spinach, Chard & Kale
- Mangetout, Peas, Beans
- Tomatoes
- Potatoes
- Chillies
- Courgettes & Squash
- Sprouting Broccoli
- Herbs
Living in the North
If you live further north in the UK, then you may find these plants do well. Most will do well in cooler climates, and with lower light levels as autumn creeps in.
- Spinach & Chard
- Kale
- All Brassicas – cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli etc
- Parsnips
- Carrots
- Beetroot
- Lettuces & Leaves
- Peas
Minimal-Fuss Plants for Busy People
This selection includes plants that can, for the most part, require very little care once planted. If you mulch heavily when you plant (to help suppress weeds,) and remember to water regularly, you should find they do really well without much input from you.
- Spinach & Chard
- Lettuces & Salad Leaves
- Peas & Beans
- Bush Tomatoes
- Chillies
- Sweetcorn
- Courgettes & Squash
- Leeks
- Beetroot & Carrots