Tips for Growing Vegetables in Your Own Garden

*This is a collaborative post on tips for growing vegetables

Allotment fever has gripped the UK in recent years, with a significant uptick of interest in the art of growing one’s own produce. According to a recent study by the APSE, there has been an 87% increase in demand for allotments registered by the UK’s local authorities – with many parties waiting tens upon tens of months for their own allotment space. If you have the space at home, though, you might save yourself the waiting time and start your veg-growing adventure immediately. But what should you know before you start?

Where is the shade?

Before you make any final decisions about your planting locations and garden “allotment” layout, you should first consider the natural limitations your garden inherently has. This includes where the shade falls on your lawn. Shade is not necessarily bad for allotments or smaller veg-growing undertakings, but it requires you to think a little more deeply about the things you’ll be growing.

Essentially, some vegetables are much more suited to growing in the shade or partial shade than others. If you aren’t particularly thrilled about the prospect of growing broccoli, chard or lettuce, you might want to arrange your vegetable plots so that they receive the possible sunlight.

Build raised beds for growing vegetables

One of the best quality-of-life things you can do for your growing endeavours is build raised beds. You allow your veg deeper soil penetration and also save your back when it comes time to harvest. Raised beds are easy to make, as well; shoring up a simple plywood box structure with railway sleepers makes for a structurally sound raised planter, and semi=permeable membrane linings give you more control over irrigation at the top and bottom.

Create a workspace

Growing vegetables is an involved undertaking that can at times, feel equal-parts art and science. It is not quite as simple as planting and leaving alone. There is also quite a lot of ‘tinkering’ involved, whether building your own beds, creating braces and lattices for vine plants to grow or devising irrigation systems. All of this, to say nothing of the tools you need for more basic gardening activities, necessitates a workspace.

This could be a bench next to your prospective planting location as a flat surface for comfortably working on tools and materials. However, a covered location would be much preferred to protect you from the elements. A greenhouse can serve dual purposes here, giving you space for storage and working and an environment for growing more temperamental plants.

Think about water for growing vegetables

Watering is vitally important to the long-term success of your growth projects, and something that can be aided by a considered approach to irrigation. There are numerous ways to make watering easier; you could run hose over your vegetable plots for an overhead watering mechanism, or ‘soaker’ hoses along your soil beds to penetrate the whole bed. Drip systems also directly irrigate vegetable roots, saving water and preventing weed growth.