Grow your own
Growing your own is easy, healthy and fun for the family
The best crops for autumn are those that are not only cold-tolerant, but also taste better when they mature in cooler weather. Those include: beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery/celeriac, collards, chicories, fennel, greens,kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, onions, parsnips, peas, radish, rutabaga, spinach, swiss chard, and turnips.
Top tips for growing Tomatoes
- Planting in greenhouses and polytunnels offer optimum conditions and ensures a summer long harvest
- Plant outside in any size garden providing they are in a warm and sheltered spot and use a tomato cage for support
- Tumbling varieties are great grown in hanging baskets
- All varieties need fertile soil, and plenty of regular sun, heat, food and water to produce sweet, juicy fruits
Top tips for growing Carrots
- Sow carrot seeds regularly for a year-round crop
- All carrots require an open, sunny site and fertile well-drained soil. Use an organic veg compost to provide essential nutrients
- Carrots are best grown in the open ground, but you can try short-rooted types in containers or growbags
- Keep weeds down between rows by hand weeding - if you allow weeds to grow they may end up crowding out the carrots
Top tips for growing Runner Beans
- Use canes for plant support, the expanding Willow Trellis is both practical and decorative
- Keep an eye out for slugs and blackfly that may attack the plants
- Ensure the soil is constantly moist and doesn’t dry out
- Pick regularly to prevent any pods reaching maturity; once this happens plants will stop flowering and no more pods will be set
Top tips for growing Lettuce
- Mix varieties for an assortment of different coloured leaves and tastes
- Choose a sunny spot, and when planting mix with a well-rotted garden compost to add nutrients
- For a continuous supply, sow a few seeds every four weeks
- Lettuce is easy to grow in containers and window boxes - simply fill it with a mix of potting compost and John Innes and sow seeds