| My vegetables are too close together | | | | recommend only sowing perhaps half of perishables |
| When you buy vegetable/fruit seeds they come in | | | | like lettuce. The remaining seeds can often be saved |
| packets with guides to sowing, planting out, harvesting, | | | | for the following sowing season. |
| watering etc. When you sow the seeds, follow the | | | | The alternative is successional sowing, meaning sow |
| guidelines, if it says so thinly I would recommend | | | | little and often. Every 10 to 14 days, sow a little more |
| following the suggestions. Some of my first seeds | | | | of the same seed. In this way your harvest will be |
| were lettuces and tomatoes. I found out that my | | | | spread out. Be careful about sowing past the last |
| sprinkling approach meant that I had young vegetables | | | | recommended sow date. |
| growing on top of the next one. | | | | What size should my garden beds be? |
| I had to wait until they were slightly established, lift/dig | | | | A common mistake is making your bed to wide in an |
| the plant out whilst avoiding damaging the delicate | | | | effort to save space. Unfortunately this makes it hard |
| roots and replant them again. | | | | to maintain. You will need to be able to weed the bed |
| I would suggest thinking about the size of the plant | | | | frequently, closely monitor for bugs and diseases, |
| vegetables you are growing and sow accordingly. | | | | water, feed and eventually harvest. Apart from not |
| How do I handle weeds in my garden? | | | | wanting to break your back trying to get to the plant in |
| When growing vegetables or any plants in fact, it is | | | | the middle of your bed, it can be easy to accidentally |
| inevitable that you will get weeds. Often when you dig | | | | step on its neighboring plant. |
| in new manure or compost it will of course help the | | | | I would suggest making your beds no wider than 4ft; |
| plant you are sowing but inevitably weeds will prosper | | | | you will then be able to access all part of the bed |
| too. | | | | without too much difficulty. |
| I would recommend identifying what your plant will look | | | | How do I grow vegetables if I have a small garden? |
| like when it is 3 or 4 weeks old, anything else in the | | | | If like me you have a small garden or have run out of |
| same area is a weed and should be removed while it | | | | space in your garden beds to grow vegetables, why |
| is still small. With vegetables this is often easier than | | | | not try growing in containers. The majority of the |
| with other plants because we tend to sow the same | | | | vegetables I grow are in containers. Container |
| varieties of seed together in the same area of the | | | | gardening doesn't require any special secret |
| garden. | | | | techniques, perhaps a little more watering and |
| If you wait and let the weeds establish, they will be | | | | sometime slightly different sowing methods. |
| harder to remove as the roots will be deeper. Also | | | | Pots or containers can be bought quite cheaply. We |
| weeds may grow close to your vegetables and it can | | | | were able to buy some for 99p each at a local 99p |
| be hard to remove the weeds them without disturbing | | | | store. You'll be surprised how much can grow in just |
| the vegetable plants. | | | | one container or pot. One of the major benefits of |
| How do I stop pests eating my young plants? | | | | container gardening is the pots can be moved for |
| I have mainly a container garden as I don't have much | | | | example if there is a frost due, you can relocate to a |
| space in my garden for growing in beds. I have noticed | | | | cold frame or greenhouse with ease. Also they are |
| that if I sow directly into beds, the plants struggle to | | | | easy to position in the right sunny or shady spot in your |
| develop sometimes. This can be because pests can | | | | garden. |
| easily get at the young growth or because conditions | | | | How do I identify what I've planted? |
| aren't 100% suitable for growing the variety being | | | | When you sow your seeds, I would recommend |
| sown. | | | | adding a label. You can buy cheap plastic or wooden |
| I would recommend that with a lot of plants you should | | | | blank labels, write on them with a permanent marker |
| start them off in starter pots. I have even found that | | | | and place them in the ground for easy identification |
| sowing into regular containers works well and fewer | | | | later. |
| pests get at the young growth. Peat pots can be | | | | I have made the mistake of putting two different |
| bought fairly cheaply and if you sow your seeds in | | | | seeds close together and using masking tape as |
| these they can be put into the ground once the plant | | | | temporary label. I then found afterwards that I couldn't |
| has established. | | | | remember what seeds were sown on each side. At |
| Alternatively plastic pots are fine although you are | | | | harvest time it is often fairly easy to find out but |
| more likely to disturb the roots when transplanting to | | | | sometimes varieties of the same type of vegetable |
| the bed. | | | | are similar. |
| How do I avoid too many vegetables at harvest time? | | | | If you are sowing in the ground I would suggest placing |
| This can sometimes be a nice situation but once you | | | | a label at each end of the row or section of bed that |
| have given some to friends and neighbours there are | | | | you are sowing in, then when you come to harvest the |
| some things that can't easily be saved. Lettuce is one | | | | neighboring plant, you know where you can safely dig. |
| of these; I recently sowed two different varieties of | | | | When labeling I write the seed name/variety on one |
| lettuce and it is likely that I will have lots more that I | | | | side and the date of sowing on the reverse side. This |
| know what to do with. | | | | makes it easier to know when to expect to be able to |
| All seed packets have sow by dates, I would | | | | harvest. |