A handful of easy crops can feed you all summer. Here's what to grow first for reliable, satisfying results.
Created by jflgardens.co.uk
Home-grown veg doesn't need a huge plot or a lifetime of knowledge. Choose the right handful of beginner-friendly crops and a sunny patch of ground, and you'll have a satisfying harvest in months.
For your first season, choose crops that are forgiving and quick to reward you. Salad leaves, radishes, runner beans, courgettes and potatoes all give you plenty for little fuss — perfect for building confidence before you branch out.
Most veg wants at least six hours of sun a day. If your ground is poor, improve it with plenty of compost or go straight to well-fed raised beds or containers — which also make watering and weeding far easier.
Veg grows fast, so it's thirsty and hungry. Keep the soil consistently moist rather than alternately drenched and dry, and feed regularly through the growing season to keep crops coming.
Rather than sowing one big patch at once, sow little and often — every couple of weeks for salads and beans. You get a steady supply through summer instead of a glut followed by nothing.
From planting & borders to a full growing-style overhaul, the JFL Gardens team works across Surrey and London.
