How to Grow Your Food

A Guide for Complete Beginners

By Jon Clift, Amanda Cuthbert

Green Books Ltd

Copyright © 2011 Jon Clift & Amanda Cuthbert
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-900322-68-3

Contents

Introduction,
Chapter 1 Before you start,
Chapter 2 The basics,
Chapter 3 Easy-to-grow vegetables,
Chapter 4 Easy-to-grow fruit,
Chapter 5 Easy-to-grow herbs,
Chapter 6 Useful gardening terms,
Chapter 7 Common problems,
Metric–imperial conversions,

CHAPTER 1

Before you start

Before you start – a few things to think about

Space

How much space have you got? Even a tiny balcony or south-facing windowsill can be a space for growing food. Be creative – you can grow plants in pots, bags, boxes or even milk cartons. If you’ve only got flowerbeds, why not grow a few runner beans, some sweetcorn or a courgette or two in amongst the flowers? Herbs are really easy in containers, and as they don’t need much water they also do well on sunny banks. If you have a small strip of earth by a south-facing wall (maybe down the side of a path?) grow some tomatoes – they’ll like the heat from the wall. If you’ve just got concrete, you can grow in containers or raised beds. Whatever your space, you can grow something.

Position

Light: You’ll need to think about light and shade before deciding what to grow. Most plants benefit from sunshine, so a north-facing balcony could be difficult, but maybe you have a sunny windowsill? If you have a garden, where are the sunny spots that are going to be best for growing your sun-loving vegetables? The more sun the plants get in the growing season the quicker and more productively they will grow.

Shelter: If possible, try to make sure that at least part of your growing area is out of the wind – strong winds and heavy rain can damage young plants, especially tall ones.

Weather

Be aware of the seasons where you live – you may need to adapt your growing to suit your local climate. If you live in a colder part of the country you will need to plant a bit later than if you live in the warmer south (use the later dates recommended in this book). Likewise, if you have a drier climate you will need to think about growing crops that don’t mind dry conditions, or be prepared to get out there frequently with the watering can.

Soil

What kind of soil do you have? If it is thick, heavy, clay soil it is a good idea to add some compost (see here) to try to ‘open it up’ and make it less dense. If it is a light, sandy soil add well-rotted farm manure, if you can get hold of some, or compost, which will help give the soil more body and reduce water loss. Compost both adds nutrients and enriches your soil, which will mean healthier plants.

If you are growing in containers or a window box you will need a good growing compost; there are lots of different sorts on offer, but buy compost that is peat-free (let’s save what peat bogs still remain!) and, ideally, organic if you can.

Water

It’s a good idea to invest in some water butts to catch the free water from the roof of your house or shed; you can’t have too much, especially in a dry summer. If you are running a tap in the kitchen waiting for your water to warm up, rather than waste it, collect the cold water into a bucket and save it to use it on your plants.

Equipment

You can get by with very little equipment or, in some cases, can make your own.

Tools: If you are growing indoors you can make do with an old spoon, although a trowel is handy. Outdoors you can manage with a trowel and a large fork, but a spade, hoe and rake are also useful. Garage sales are great places to find cheap tools.

Watering: A large watering can for outside; a small one or a jug for inside.

Labelling: Plant labels can be made from cut-up yoghurt pots; use a permanent marker or soft pencil.

Tying in or up: A pair of scissors and something to tie plants up with – string, thin strips of old rag, etc.

Pruning: Secateurs.

Support: Sticks, canes, trellis or netting.

Protection: Net and fleece will help to protect plants from pests and cold weather. Cloches (see here) are useful both for warmth and to give protection from pests; you can make your own small cloche by cutting a large plastic water bottle in half.

Containers

While you can spend a lot of money on different sorts of container, you can also find or make things to sow and grow in that cost next to nothing.

Pots and modules: There are many different kinds of container for sowing seeds in – from seed trays and modules to pots of different shapes and sizes. You can also use yoghurt pots or fruit juice cartons (with a small hole made in the bottom), or plastic containers from supermarket-packaged fruit and vegetables.

Raised beds: You can make your own or buy ready-made ones, which are made from wood or recycled plastic, are easy to use and can be placed on solid surfaces, like concrete or gravel, or on grass or soil.

Old builders’ bags: Great for larger crops such as runner beans or sweetcorn; they will need holes in the bottom for drainage.

Old baskets and buckets: Try the local recycling centre – look for buckets with holes in, or make holes yourself.

Hanging baskets: Good if you have a small space.

Window boxes: Great when space is tight.

Seeds or plants

It’s fun choosing and buying seeds – there are so many to choose from. We’ve suggested varieties that are easy to grow, but once you have found your feet you can enjoy trying out more unusual ones.

Short on time? You can often buy young plants to avoid having to grow them from seed – where relevant we have included information on both.

Holiday cover

If you are going to be away, make sure you have someone who can look after the plants in your absence; they may need watering and/or harvesting.

Time

How much time you invest is up to you, but you will need to allow enough to cultivate your crops.

CHAPTER 2

The basics

The basics – getting started

You’ve decided where you are going to grow your food, but before you start planting you will need to get the plot ready, to give those seeds and plants every chance of success.

Your plants will need all the light they can get and food from the soil, so make wise choices now to avoid struggling plants later. Plant carefully so that your food crops are successful: for example, if you are planting amongst existing flowers, put in tall crops such as sweetcorn that will soon make their way above the flowers to reach the sun.

Clearing weeds

If you are growing in containers then skip the next few paragraphs. But if you’re intending to grow on a patch of land, read on. There are some weeds, unfortunately, that really do need totally removing before you start: these are perennials that will revisit you every year unless you completely clear them away now. We’re talking about easy-to-recognise weeds such as dandelions, stinging nettles and docks, as well as ones you may not know – for example, bindweed, couch grass and ground elder. Our suggestion is to find a gardening neighbour or friend who will be able to recognise these unwelcome guests – invite them round and see if they can spot any of these in your patch.

If you do have any in your patch you are going to have to get digging in order to remove all of their roots. Dandelions and docks are not too difficult but weeds such as ground elder are much more challenging. The smallest piece of root left in the ground will reshoot and grow with ease. You have to hand it to these plants – they’re pretty impressive survivors.

Preparing the soil

Fingers crossed, your patch of ground is free of nasty perennial weeds. You now have a few choices:

• Dig the ground over thoroughly, breaking up big clumps of soil, whilst adding in some compost to give your plants plenty of nutrients. This is the conventional approach: hard work but very satisfying when finished.

• Clear the ground of weeds, as discussed above, roughly level off the soil and then cover it with a good depth of compost. Within reason, the more the better – but certainly no less than 7cm; double that would be great if you have enough compost.

• You can even simply dig up any perennial weeds, but leave the ordinary grass. Then cover the ground with a couple of layers of cardboard to smother the grass and prevent it growing, and on top of this put a good depth of compost into which you plant your vegetables.

Whatever method you decide to use, it is extremely pleasing to see your prepared bed all ready for your plants to be planted into.

Compost

You will probably need to buy in some compost (see here). These days it is readily available from most local authority recycling centres – they collect green waste from households and produce compost for us to use. Try to find compost that is relatively free of twigs – the less wood in it the better. Fine rather than coarse compost is preferable.

Buying and sowing seeds

Most of us would like to be well organised – to send off for seed catalogues months before we need the seeds, read about the various options, chat to friends who know about these things and then order our seeds for the coming season. But the reality for many of us is often a trip to the local garden centre or shop to buy what’s available; in this case, be sure to check the ‘sow by’ date on the packet – seeds stay viable for only a limited time. Don’t be tempted to buy too many – a packet of seeds goes a long way. If you have a gardening friend or neighbour then how about splitting the packets of different seeds between you?

Seeds vary tremendously in size – some even come in clusters of four or five – so you will need to use different methods when it comes to actually sowing them.

For small seeds, take a ‘pinch’ of them between your finger and thumb, rubbing your finger and thumb together to release them into the drill or furrow (see here) – as gentle rain rather than a sudden downpour. Cutting a corner off the packet and gently tapping never seems to work very well. Although seeds are relatively cheap, buying lots of different varieties adds up – so if you’re after a few broad beans or a different type of lettuce, see if you can swap your extra seeds with another gardener. Contact your local allotment association or gardening club – they are generally helpful, especially to newcomers to the gardening world.

Buying and planting plants

There are several options available to you when buying plants: Loose plants: Some of the hardier plants are sold as bunches, young leeks being a prime example. They will be cheaper this way, but do check to see that they are fit and healthy and not wilted.

A tray full of growing plants: A good option, providing it has the number of plants that you’re looking for. But it is not without its drawbacks – the roots of the plants will need untangling before transplanting and some may get damaged in the process.

Plants growing in separate modules: Each plant has its own little home, which makes it very easy to transplant. Hold the tray of modules upside down, keeping one hand on the compost, tap gently to remove each plug of compost with its plant, and plant it into its new home.

Plants grown in containers made of cardboard or coir: These are sometimes known as ‘plugs’ and have big advantages. Simply soak well to soften up the container and, leaving the plant in its container, put it into the ground and water it in. Being biodegradable, the container will rot, allowing the roots to penetrate into the soil.

Just like seeds, plants have varying planting requirements: plant them too deep and they might rot; too shallow and they will not thrive. Follow the advice we have given in each individual plant entry. Firm down the soil around them afterwards and water them in.

Watering

Your seeds and plants need water in order to grow and thrive. If they’re planted outdoors in a garden, hopefully they will get the majority of their water from rainfall, but in dry periods it’s down to you to provide the water.

When seedlings start growing

When your seeds in seed trays have germinated and started growing, producing both leaves and roots, they will need transplanting into separate pots or modules to give them more space. This is known as ‘pricking out’ and normally happens once the seedling has several sets of leaves (see individual plant entries for specific advice).

Get your pot ready before you start: fill it with compost, dampen the compost with water and make a hole large enough for the seedling to drop into. Your finger is a good tool to use for this.

Choose the stronger-looking seedlings. Hold the seedling gently by the leaves (not the stem), loosen the soil around its roots with a table fork, a pencil or something similar, and pull gently. Once the plant is free of the soil, let its weight rest on the fork and put it into its new home, still carefully holding on to it by its leaves.

Put the seedling into the hole at the same depth as it was before. Firm the compost down gently around the seedling and water it in.

Moving the growing plants to their final location

You will need to do this if you are raising plants in pots, modules or a seedbed – refer to the specific plant entry in this book to find out when and how.

Thinning out

Some plants that have been sown directly into their final position will need thinning out – removing some of the seedlings to give the rest enough space to grow successfully. This is easy with plants such as carrots or turnips: you simply grab them by their leaves and pull. But for others, such as leeks, it is more difficult as their root systems tend to become entwined. In this case you will need to gently loosen the soil around their roots with a small hand fork before pulling the unwanted plants out – hold them by their stems and tease the roots apart.

Whatever the type of plant, leave in the strong, healthy ones and remove and discard the weak.

Feeding

All plants need nutrients in order to grow and thrive. For some, such as purple sprouting broccoli, you can supply them when preparing the bed before you plant, but for others, such as tomatoes, you will need to feed the plants regularly throughout their growing season in order to get a good crop.

Rotation

To avoid the possibility of pests and diseases building up in the soil, it is a good idea not to grow the same type of crop in the same place year after year. So, where you planted carrots one year, plant courgettes the next, and so on. If you are growing in containers, change the compost every year. The obvious exception to this is perennial plants – which grow in the same spot for 15-20 years, so do not need moving around the garden. The crops in this book that are perennials are: all the fruit, rosemary, mint, sage and thyme.

CHAPTER 3

Easy-to-grow vegetables

Beansprouts

Beansprouts are the ultimate high-speed vegetable to grow. They grow easily in just a few days – no garden, no wellies, no dirty hands. Beansprouts are tasty and bursting with vitamins and minerals.

Plant or seed?

Seeds only – you’re going to harvest and eat them before they grow into plants. Mung beans are easiest, but you can also try lentils, alfalfa, fenugreek and radish. But beware – you must buy special seeds or beans to sprout, as these will not have been treated with fungicides or similar, unlike the seeds and beans purchased for planting in the garden.

Sowing seeds

When and where: Beansprouts can be grown all year round, almost anywhere indoors. They’ve even been grown in plastic bags in explorers’ pockets, but for growing at home a small jar or bowl is fine.

How: Place enough beans in the jar to cover the bottom to about two beans deep, cover with cold water and leave to soak overnight. Drain, rinse the beans, drain again and leave.

How do beansprouts grow?

After a couple of days you will see the sprouts emerging from the beans – you eat the whole lot, the bean and its sprout. Different beans and seeds will sprout in a variety of colours and sizes.

Looking after your beansprouts

Rinse and drain: All sprouting beans and seeds need frequent rinsing and circulating air to prevent them from going mouldy. Rinse and drain twice a day; the beans need to be kept moist rather than wet. A piece of loose-weave cloth held over the jar mouth with an elastic band makes draining easy.

Remove unsprouted beans: When the beans have started to sprout it is worth tipping them into a sieve or colander and removing the few that have not sprouted before returning the rest to their container.

Harvesting

When: They will be ready in just 3-5 days! If you leave them too long, roots will start to appear.

How: Just empty them out of their container.

Now what?

Clean the jar well and refill ready for the next batch.

* Beansprouts will store in the fridge for several days. Do try fenugreek and radish sprouts – they are wonderfully spicy!

Beetroot

Beetroot is easy to grow and can provide a good tasty crop early in the year. But pick it early, before the beets get tough, and try eating their tasty young leaves – they’re great in salads.

Plant or seed?

Grow beetroot from seed – it is so easy and quick to grow. Choose ‘Bolthardy’ or, for something just that little bit different, try ‘Forono’, which is cylindrical rather than the normal round shape.

(Continues…)Excerpted from How to Grow Your Food by Jon Clift, Amanda Cuthbert. Copyright © 2011 Jon Clift & Amanda Cuthbert. Excerpted by permission of Green Books Ltd.
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