When I moved to the countryside a couple of years ago it was assumed that I would be baking tarts, making doilies, and hand-rearing lamb in the living room – or at the very least cultivating my own vegetable patch.
I can’t say I have done all of the above but I did have great success with a vegetable patch. I hadn’t a clue to start with and I was fairly neglectful but I still managed to produce peas, shallots, potatoes, carrots, spinach and rhubarb; all organic and not a hint of a pesticide. Best of all, it’s free food; if I can do it, anyone can. I’m probably getting a bit ambitious but I’m going to try and grow some veggies and herbs this autumn to harvest in the winter. This is what you can plant now:
1. Spring cabbage: I grew this in an old bath in my back garden when I lived in Dublin and it flourished.
2. Rhubarb chard: There is a ridiculous amount of rhubarb growing on the patch at the moment, this is a beast of a plant that anyone can grow.
3. Turnip: Not a fan of turnips but now is a good time to plant.
4. Spring onion: I had great success with shallots last spring and I have heard that now is a great time to plant the delicious spring onion.
5. Claytonia : Also known as miners lettuce; this can be grown indoors or out and is great in salads.
6. Corn salad: Sometimes referred to as lamb’s lettuce; this is a hardy winter plant that also goes great in salads.
7. Kohl rabi: Not often seen in shops; this relative to the cabbage is similar to a turnip and is very easy to grow.
8. Rocket: this grows very well and is expensive to buy in supermarkets so it will save you cash.
9. Mustard Greens: These winter salad leaves provide a spicy kick and can also be added to Chinese cooking.
Have you had success with planting in your back garden? Any tips on what to plant now?