Edible crops to suit your space, skills and mobility
My garden’s edible exploits have been through many stages and I suspect there will be many more when it comes to growing fruit and vegetables. By the way, you’ll never hear the words ‘veggie’ or ‘lottie’ here – they’re an abomination. It’s a straightforward ‘veg’ and ‘allotment’.
Even though I have been gardening for many decades, one major fault has haunted me – wanting to cram vegetables and fruit into every suitable and unsuitable spot. There are many of the latter.
Combined with my ever-optimistic view of the weather in North-East England, failures have been many. I swear I’ll take Monty Don’s ‘Buddhist’ philosophy to heart, but it doesn’t always work. Also, I’m a sucker for a new novelty in the seed catalogues when the nights are drawing in come autumn, and I’m drawing up lists for seeds I have no space for.
Crop rotation is GOD
ALWAYS obey crop rotation rules – more on that here. Growing the same type of vegetable in the same patch of soil leads to a build-up of pests and diseases and a depletion of minerals, such as clubroot in brassicas.
Learn from my mistakes
The best advice I can give to beginners to save them time and heartache and avoid thinking you know best – don’t try to grow things where they don’t want to grow. At best, you’ll end up with a poor crop, at worst, the death of the lot. Here are some common-sense tips to avoid fruit and veg failure:
Growing fruit and vegetables in containers
If you’re going to grow edibles in pots, make sure you have the time and inclination to keep them watered and fed. It will probably be a daily job to water unless it’s wet and a weekly job to feed. If you doubt yourself, forget it.
Control your seed-buying urges!
Don’t be swayed by all the new products of the season (right, like I’m not…) Buy what you need, not what you want. This sensible approach will save you money and reduce waste – seeds do go off.
Growing fruit and vegetables – Research what you grow
I once bought an unusual almond tree that was a ‘bargain’ in a Thompson & Morgan job lot sale. Unfortunately, I didn’t check whether it would fruit where I live (bitter experience there – and not even a bitter almond produced). Even a cheap tree is expensive if it doesn’t earn its keep.
Don’t cram too much in
A big fault of mine. You’ll get fewer crops, and diseases and pests will spread more rapidly.
Growing fruit and vegetables – Choose expensive varieties
Many types of fruit and veg are difficult to pick or have a poor shelf life, so they’re expensive or non-existent in supermarkets. That doesn’t mean they’re difficult for home gardeners to grow. Blackcurrants are relatively easy to pick but challenging to harvest in bulk. Most commercial tomatoes have thicker skins, so they have a longer shelf life, and growers rely on productivity over taste.
Focus on taste
Commercial growers strive for the highest yield possible. While it’s possible to get flavoursome varieties in the shops, nothing tastes like home-grown crops fresh from the plant. I’m especially thinking of tomatoes, strawberries, apples and new potatoes here!
If you have limited mobility…
Grow crops that won’t be hard to reach or pick. Use raised beds and make sure you can reach the middle without overstretching. Avoid fruit trees that grow tall – buy them on dwarfing rootstocks so you won’t have to climb ladders or get someone in to prune them.
