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Sowing the
Seed
Now’s the time to grow your own chillies, tomatoes, potatoes and broad beans. Or create crackin’ cress heads! The popularity of ‘Grow Your Own’ continues to rise, with 38% of British adults saying that they use their garden or outdoor space such as a balcony or window box to grow their own herbs, fruit and vegetables. Growing your own fruit and vegetables from seed is sometimes made to sound harder than it is. But all you really need to do is to pop a
Chillies and tomatoes Chillies and tomatoes can be started off indoors from March through to mid spring. Plants will be ready to go outside in a sheltered, sunny spot from May or after the last frost.
Potatoes Potatoes are a family favourite and are very easy to grow. Buy seed potatoes, which are small potato tubers that are certified disease free (don’t be tempted to use old potatoes from the vegetable rack) and start chitting them in March. Chitting involves letting the potatoes grow shoots by placing them in trays or egg cartons and standing them in a cool, light spot until 1-2cm long shoots have formed. Work organic matter and a general fertiliser into the soil of an open sunny site.
few seeds into some seed trays or pots filled with compost, place indoors in a propagator, or in a greenhouse if you have one, water well and watch your plants grow. In no time they will be ready to be planted out (usually after the last frost). Now is a good time to plan what you are going to grow and choose your seeds.
Potatoes do not like frost so don’t rush to plant out too soon. Water regularly and you should be able to harvest after 10-12 weeks.
Broad Beans & Runner Beans Broad beans and runner beans can be sown indoors or straight in the ground outside as the soil warms up. They are easy to grow and you’ll be able to enjoy delicious freshly picked veg this summer.
