8 Vegetables to Easily Grow in a Small Space.
At this time of the year we all start to think of getting the garden nice for the summer and perhaps even planting something to give us a little crop. You might be thinking more and more about your carbon footprint and the carbon footprint of your food. Eating the produce straight from your back garden is one of the most sustainable things you can do, plus it will reduce the amount of plastic packaging you use. Even if you do try to buy loose it is sometimes unavoidable. Herbs, lettuce, spinach, cucumbers, all come in that pesky packaging.
But hang on you’ve never grown anything before or every time you’ve tried in the past it’s been a complete disaster.
Don’t worry I’ve complied a list all of the vegetables that I was able to grow easily in my tiny garden and get a good crop from even when I was a beginner and had no idea what I was doing. (I still question whether I have any idea, but these have worked well every year.)
Lettuce
It doesn’t need much room or deep soil. I grow mine in a planter my Father in law made for me out of old pallets. It’s high and deep so is harder for the slug so get to (Damn those slugs have taken so many of my lettuce babies when they have been in the ground). You can grow from seeds in small pots and plant in a large pot or the ground when the plants are around an inch or two high, or if your nervous to grow from seed/its didn’t go well you could buy small lettuce plants and plant them out. Most supermarkets even do these now. It might mean you buy a lettuce plant in plastic but I’ve got a simple step that will mean you’ll keep your lettuce plants going for months and save on far more plastic packaging from salad bags.
The secret is to keep picking them. You may have read My Beginners Guide to Growing a Sustainable Herb Garden, in which I explained that a plants goal in life is to keep growing until it flowers and effectively reproduces. By picking the outer leaves of the lettuce as it grows it will keep trying to grow bigger and bigger making it last longer before it bolts, flowers and no longer tastes good. (Bolt means the middle of the lettuce plant quiet literally bolts up and flowers. The lettuce will taste bitter once this happens.)
I usually plant around 10 lettuce plants out and pick the outer leafs for around 6/8 weeks. By planting a few different varieties you can pick leaves off each one every time and get yourselves a nice mixed salad for lunch. Far nicer than a mix bag of salad leaves because it’s come straight from your garden.
I have just planted out one set of lettuce which should see me into June. I will then plant a second lot which will hopefully see me through the rest of the summer without buying one lettuce.
Once it looks like the lettuce is about to bolt (The center will start to grow up), pick the whole thing.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes like it warm. Start your seedling on a warm window sill or in a green house. You can, like with lettuce buy tomatoes plants ready to be planted straight into the ground.
They will do best in the ground but can be grown in pots. I have done this purely so I could move them into the sunniest stop in the garden but they do take a little more love if you decide to grow them in pots because you’ll need to water more. Plant in the biggest pot you can because unlike lettuce they need a bit more room to put roots down.
Potatoes
Pop along to your local garden center buy some seed potatoes. They will have a few different varieties. The label will explain weather their early, mid, or late season, when you should plant and harvest. Or ask someone in the shop, they are always very knowledgeable.
The easiest way to grow potatoes.
Make sure the sprouts coming out of the potatoes are long, roughly 2/3cm (if not leave them somewhere sunny until they are). Plant in early spring when the soil is warming up.
Find a sunny spot to plant them in. Full sun or at least a spot that gets sunlight for 6 hours a day.
Plant out in soil of a large deep container/barrel/pot.
As they grow I add more comport on top of the sprouts. This will encourage more growth.
Harvest roughly 3 months after you’ve planted. If you not sure have a gentle dig with your hands in the soil to see what the potatoes are like. If they look ready dig them up. If not cover back over and be patient a little longer.
Leaf Beet/Spinach/Chard
Every year my Mum and I grow leaf beet (also known as perpetual spinach) rather than spinach. I grow it in pots on the patio, Mum has in on her allotment all year round. This is probably my favourite crop to grow because it’s the crop that keeps on giving. Quiet literally.
We grow leaf beet over spinach because it has a similar taste but grows much easier and lasts longer, whereas spinach can bolt and flowers easily, especially in the summer sun. Like with lettuce and some herbs the more you pick the longer it’s going to last. Which is great for it seeing us through the winter months. Last year I had around 10 plants that I harvested from all summer long and although it grew slower through the winter months we still ate from the leaves at least once a month up until late February. We use it in everything from salads to curry to pasta.
Swiss chard is also fun to grow in the summer. It tastes very like spinach too but is more fun because they come in all different colours making your cooking looks irresistible.
Radish
These are probably the easiest of all to grow. I plant them straight into the ground in the spring and harvest a few weeks later. Doing the same all summer. This year I’m trying out so different types of radish, because the kids love to grow them and it’s quick gratification for them, including Chinese White Radish and French Radish,
Garlic
If you’ve had a lot a failure with garlic in the past it could be because your planting it at the wrong time of year. Garlic needs to be planted in the autumn so we will leave it for a while. But it’s super easy so worth remembering.
Divide a garlic (could just be one you brought from the supermarket) into its segments. Plant each segment into the ground 4-6 inches deep with the root side down (pointy side up). Plant a couple of inches part. And then leave all winter. They need the cold to be able to separate into segments.
Harvest around midsummer’s day.
Onions.
Sowing onion seeds is easy. If your able to start them off indoors do it in early February, if not sow outdoors straight into the ground in late march/early April. Plant them out when they are big enough but not before May. This will give you a harvest in late July.
Store them in a dark, cool and dry spot and your crop of onion should last you a while.
All The Herbs.
Herbs for me are probably the easiest thing to grow. From my favourite most used herbs like coriander, basil and parsley which need to be done from seed and only last one season to the easier mints, sage, rosemary and oregano. I’ve written about How to Grow a Sustainable Herb Garden Easily right here.
In my opinion you can never have to many herbs. Even if you don’t use them all I think they look so pretty and appealing of the patio/balcony/window sill, or a bed near the kitchen door.
Where to buy your seeds.
Larger supermarkets, wilkos, garden centres, hardware stores will all sell seeds. If you want to go organic or buy online Ethical Organic Seeds are a good one to look at.
Alternatively you could just dry out the seeds from some of your fruit and veg. Dry out the seeds from your tomato or cucumbers. Ask your neighbors/family/friends. My mum, father in law, and a few neighbours always grows too many seedlings in case they don’t all germinate, which of course they do and I am always happy to take on surplus plants. Sometimes I have too many of one thing too and we do a switch. Or I have seeds that never did that well in my garden so I pass them on to someone that wants to try. If your looking for herbs ask your friends/neighbours/family for some cuttings. Gardening does not have to be expensive in these parts.
I hope you have some luck whether it’s your first try or not. Can’t wait to hear of all your success.
Much Love
Hannah xxx
