being plants

Welcome to the Think Like a Plant series. This is a new collection of vegetable growing articles designed to help you think like a grower by understanding the plants you grow. Instead of simply following gardening instructions, this series explores what vegetable plants, like tomatoes, actually need to grow well, stay healthy, and produce strong harvests. Once you understand what a tomato plant wants, from warmth and watering to light, airflow, and nutrients, you can garden with more confidence, spot problems earlier, and make smarter growing decisions in your garden or greenhouse. What does my Tomato Plant actually want? Try thinking like Tomato plant by observing their behaviour, notice patterns when growing them like how much water they need and try to understand what the plant is trying to achieve. Tomato Plants No 1 Goal ‘Grow strong enough to produce fruits and seeds’ Here are the steps that the Tomato Plant takes to achieve this goal: Leaves abs...

Waiting is something Gardening teaches us along with patience. It’s worth knowing that not everything happens instantly and that’s part of the growing process. Whilst you can’t rush growth, you can choose when it begins. The earlier you sow, the earlier the harvest. This why it’s better to sow Courgettes in April and not May, to give them the head start they need. Courgettes are one of the most cost effective vegetable to grow. Sow 1 seed and get about 5 plus courgettes off that plant, maybe more. Courgette seeds start from 39p from UK seed suppliers so this is great value and you are getting courgettes back for your money. Can you Sow Courgettes Outdoors in April in the UK? Courgette’s are classed as Tender vegetables which means they are susceptible to frost. This means that whilst you are ‘winging it’ by putting those Tomato plants in the greenhouse, hoping not to get too many cold nights or frost. It’s not going to work for Courgettes as they need heat (indoor sunny windowsill...

For years I have planted 1st early potato tubers in 30L containers and although overjoyed at the harvest, I have become disappointed at how tiny some of the potatoes were. This year I’m taking action I want to grow jacket potato sized potatoes and I’m growing them in a raised bed. What variety of Potatoes will grow larger than others? The 2 main larger potato varieties are: King Edward (I’m growing), Maris Piper. What 3 things make a difference to be able to grow larger potatoes? Bed Preparation – Dig compost into the holes or trench you plant the potatoes into. Chitting – Put the tubers in an egg box in a cool light place for 4-6 weeks, for the potatoes to sprout purple shoots. These will help boost the starting growth in the soil. Spacing – Larger potatoes need more room to grow, so make sure you space your potatoes apart otherwise they will take up each other’s nutrients. Chitting – Purple Sprouts When to Plant Maincrop Potatoes in Raised Beds Maincrop Potatoe...

New Vegetable Seeds are always exciting to buy, but do they really need to be expensive? Many beginner gardeners assume that growing vegetables requires premium seed brands and lots of money. In this year’s Veg Lab Experiment, I have decided to test that idea by growing a range of the cheapest vegetable seeds I could find. My Goal is simple: to see whether budget vegetable seeds grow just as well as more expensive brands and to show that growing vegetables on a budget is completely possible for beginners. If you have ever wondered whether cheap vegetable seeds are worth buying, my experiment might surprise you. It’s a Myth that Vegetable Growing is expensive Broad Bean Seeds With premium seed brands, shiny tools in the garden centre and Pinterest style gardens that look expensive, you could be forgiven for thinking growing your own vegetables is expensive. A trip to the garden centre or viewing seed catalogues, is an easy trap to fall into and you’ll start thinking expensive...

Celeriac is a strange creature that is a vegetable. If you thought Kohl Rabi was weird, wait until you see this bad boy! What’s is Celeriac? If someone described Celeriac to me, I don’t think I’d want to grow it. It does sound hideous to look at with its bulbous gnarled skin and celery type leaves. However it is also described somewhat as an ugly duckling with its surprising celery, parsley and nutty flavour. If cooked it acts like a potato so is perfect for creamy dauphinois dishes and in the winter when it is harvested, what more could you want than a cosy creamy delightful dish. Why am I Growing Celeriac? Hopefully I can redeem myself here and win you back over into tempting you to grow celeriac. I’m growing celeriac for the architecture in the vegetable garden. It has (I’m told) a certain stature presence in the beds which is of wonderment and curiosity. Is it a beauty or is it a beast? This is why I am growing it, to see for myself. How do I Grow Celeriac? Celeriac is one...

By sowing slow growing vegetables in one raised bed, you can collectively harvest around the same time. This saves space and rewards you with harvest later in the year. Some vegetables reward patience, let’s discover which vegetables to sow in the UK between March and April to setup your long quietly growing raised bed. What are Slow-Growing Vegetables? Celeriac Harvested Root vegetables and Alliums are the long season crops taking between 5 to 8 months from seed to harvest. These vegetables are sown in Spring between March & April so they are ready in October and November. Slow growing vegetables are great for grouping together in one bed as they stay in the ground for a long period of time. Which Slow Growing Vegetables are worth the wait? Patience is required for the long time crops, but they are very worthwhile. Although they take up one bed, nearly all year, you will have something to harvest in the autumn when theres not much else to harvest and they are low maintena...