What to grow

A good idea is to carefully consider what you are going to grow and where you will grow it. Firstly think about what you like to eat as there is not much point in growing 10 kilos of beetroot if you don’t like it! Also consider how much of each vegetable or fruit you want to grow, how much food each one produces and how long it takes to grow as some vegetables, such as parsnips, can take up to 9 months with Asparagus taking even longer and believe me, when you are waiting to taste them you get very, very impatient!

If this is the first time you have grown anything I suggest that you use containers rather than rush out and dig up the lawn. One of the reasons being that the soil will have to be prepared and this takes time, by all means dig the lawn but for the first year dig in some organic matter and let it stand fallow.

So now you have decided what you want to grow and you have got enough containers and potting compost. Make sure the containers are big enough, 9 litre/2gallon pots or troughs should be sufficient for most things to grow. I have lots of peppers and tomatoes in pots this size and get a very good crop every year. I also have cucumber and butternut squash in containers, they provide me with more than enough, plus a few strawberry plants and some herbs. Make sure that the pots have drainage holes in the bottom and that you put 2-3 inches of gravel in before you fill up with the potting compost as drainage is important. Nothing will kill a plant quicker than over watering, except maybe no water, or an out of control Ford Focus, but that is another story.