Growing Vegetables features clear, beginner-friendly guides on how to grow popular crops in the UK. Learn when to plant, how to care for vegetables through the season, and how to improve yields in gardens and allotments.
Basil is one of the most popular herbs to grow in the UK, but it is also one of the most commonly killed by poor timing. Buy a supermarket pot in April, put it on a windowsill, and watch it slowly collapse. Grow it from seed at the right time with a little care and … Read more
Pumpkins are one of the most rewarding vegetables to grow in a UK garden, but they need more space, more warmth and more time than most beginners expect. Get the timing right and pumpkins grow vigorously, produce impressive fruit and look spectacular through late summer and autumn. Rush them into cold ground too early and … Read more
Sweetcorn is one of those crops that does brilliantly when you get the timing right and goes badly wrong when you do not. It is not a difficult plant to grow, but it does need warmth, and the UK gives you a fairly narrow window to work with. Sow too early and the seeds rot. … Read more
If you have ever stood in front of a packet of seeds wondering whether to sow them now or wait, this is the page for you. UK gardening is all about timing. Sow too early and seeds rot in cold soil. Plant out too late and crops do not have time to ripen before autumn. … Read more
Potatoes are one of the most satisfying crops you can grow in a UK garden. They are practical, productive, and far less fussy than many beginners expect. You do not need a huge vegetable plot, perfect soil, or years of experience to grow them well. In fact, potatoes are often one of the best crops … Read more
Tomatoes are one of the most rewarding crops you can grow in a UK garden, but they are also one of the easiest to misunderstand. People often think tomatoes are difficult because they have seen them struggle. Seedlings go leggy on windowsills, young plants stall after planting out, leaves turn yellow, flowers drop, or fruits … Read more
Leeks are one of the most useful vegetables you can grow in a UK garden. They are steady, reliable, and well suited to British conditions for a large part of the year. They do not have the speed of lettuce or the drama of runner beans, but they make up for that by being practical, … Read more
Runner beans are one of the classic crops of the UK vegetable garden, and for good reason. They are productive, attractive, satisfying to grow, and capable of giving a generous harvest from a relatively small space. Once they get going well, they can turn a simple row of canes into one of the most useful … Read more
French beans are one of the most rewarding vegetables to grow in a UK garden. They are productive, satisfying, and surprisingly manageable once the weather is warm enough for them to get going properly. Whether you want compact bush beans for a small bed or climbing beans for a taller growing space, French beans can … Read more
Spinach is one of the most useful vegetables you can grow in a UK garden. It is quick, practical, and well suited to British growing conditions for much of the year. If you want a crop that can give you regular harvests without needing a huge amount of space, spinach is a very good choice. … Read more