One of the most common hurdles to growing veg is not having much time to spend in the garden, but some plants require very little effort indeed. This is our cheat’s guide to growing your own the time efficient way.
- Grow in pots/containers or planters
As a very general rule you’ll have fewer weeds to deal with if planting in new pots and containers. They can feel less overwhelming too and are easier to prepare by just bunging in a bag of compost. No digging necessary! - Choose easy-to-grow veg
The following vegetables are really happy growing in pots and containers and will produce a good crop but don’t need a huge amount of attention:Dwarf French Beans – as long as they’re well watered and get plenty of sun they should be fine. Pick them regularly and you’ll get lots more.Parsley – This is a really easy and useful herb to grow. Just pop it in a pot and as long as it gets watered it should be fine, even if it’s a little shady. Cut a few stalks off at the stems when you need them and they’ll keep growing back.
Courgettes – give them a good soaking from time to time and make sure they’re in the sunshine. Pick them frequently and you’ll keep getting loads for weeks on end.
Beetroot – These can be grown quite close together and don’t really need much attention. They’re also fairly light on pests and disease so you can sit back and relax a bit.
Lettuces – If you’re growing these in pots all you really need to do is keep slugs at bay and keep them well watered. Keeping slugs off pots is a bit easier too – try a copper wire around the pot, or a beer trap next to it to deter them. Harvest the outside leaves as you want to eat them and you’ll keep getting more and more from a single plant.
- Don’t try to grow too much.
This is key to keeping on top of things if you don’t have much time. Better to grow a good batch of lettuces and green beans really well than to try and grow loads of things and give up on it.