Easy to grow vegetables for beginners
Guest Post from Tristan
There’s no better feeling than growing your own vegetables.
It’s not only fun and healthy, its super rewarding.
When thinking of starting your own little veggie garden, sometimes getting it started can be the hardest part.
While choosing things to grow, it’s important to grow produce that is easy to grow rather than your favourite produce, save this till next year.
Growing produce that is simple, gives you the confidence to begin taking on bigger challenges, and before long your whole yards will be a little veggie garden.
Growing crops that require little maintenance and have a short harvest time is a great way to start.
Location
Pick a part of your garden that is sheltered but sunny.
Exceptions to this rule include salad leaves and some herbs.
Soil
The quality of your soil is another important factor for your grow, chances are if things are already growing there, your produce will to.
First step is to prepare the soil, this is done by removing weeds and turning over the soil, loosening things up.
Only grow what you have space for, don’t grow plants too closely together, so follow the recommendation on the seed packets.
Potatoes
Potatoes are one of my favourites to grow.
Plant them in the ground or even in a box.
Wait until the first leaves begin to show, then you cover these with soil.
This helps them grow faster for the next few weeks, then its harvest time.
Depending on what time of year you plant your potatoes, between planting and harvesting is roughly 3 – 4 months.
Beetroot
Beetroot is another simple vegetable to grow as and can be planted by simply twisting it into the soil like a drill.
Beetroot leaves can be harvested after 6 weeks or so (leaves are great for salads) and the bulb harvested after 3 months.
Cucumbers
Cucumber seeds are simple to sow, and are best placed roughly 2cm under the soil.
Cucumbers enjoy the sun like the rest of us, and prefer warm temperatures.
Providing they are watered regularly, and have plenty of sun, they grow like crazy.
Cucumbers crawl along the ground or you can use a trellis.
Cucumber vines grow up to 2.4m so if you have a small garden it’s important to let them grow.
When crammed they produce a smaller more bitter yield, so give them plenty of room to breathe.
Spinach
Spinach is similar to growing Lettuce, something we should all be able to master.
Its best planted in well-drained soil as it encourages root growth.
It’s a plant that can grow year-round as its not deterred by the cold.
When you plant your spinach seeds, you will need to go through and thin where you planted a few weeks later.
Just be sure to remove any area where you see clusters appears.
After you have done this your spinach will be ready to harvest in 6-8 weeks.
Tristan is a writer from Sydney Gardeners, his passion for writing stemmed from his experience in the gardening industry. Writing first hand from years of practical knowledge.