Homegrown happiness

Nothing quite beats the flavor of homegrown produce. As well as helping you cut your grocery bill, growing your own can be a highly satisfying hobby that gives back as much as it takes. Starting a vegetable patch might sound overwhelming, but whether you have endless lawns or a tiny urban balcony, there are plenty of easy-to-grow goodies that require minimal knowledge or effort in order to thrive. Taking the hassle out of gardening, these 24 straightforward foods are sure to help you turn your thumbs green.




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Getting started

Knowing where to start is the hardest part of the process and there’s much to understand about gardening. Start small and focus your initial attentions on a couple of plants. Hunt for advice online or watch tutorial videos to help you achieve better results. Invest in quality tools or utilize household items: a plastic milk jug can be cut and used as a soil scoop, while a piece of carpet works as a knee pad. Sow your seeds in intervals, so everything isn’t ready all at once, and stick to these easy-to-grow options for a foolproof first-time garden.




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Herbs

The perfect place to start, humble herbs are simple and quick to grow, but can add so much to your cooking. From bay to basil, there are countless types to choose from and they’re ideal for growing indoors on a sunny windowsill, in outdoor pots or straight in the ground, making them perfect for every type of gardener. Grow yours from seeds, or go the simpler route by potting a shop-bought plant. Wonderful fresh, you can also hang bunches up to dry for perfect dried herbs that are ready to be used whenever you want them.




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Regrow scallions

Amazingly, some vegetables grow without the need for soil. As well as leeks and celery, scallions are fantastic for beginners and will regrow if you place their roots in water, providing you with an endless stream of edible goods. Simply cut a bunch of scallions about 3cm (1.2 inches) above the roots and place into a glass of water. Keep them in a sunny position on a bright windowsill and refresh the water daily. Then simply watch as this versatile salad addition comes back to life time and time again.




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Microgreens

You may recall growing cress as a child, and there’s good reason. Quick, simple and cheap to grow, cress and other microgreens make a wonderful addition to salads and sandwiches. If you have children, they’re also perfect for encouraging them to get interactive with their food. Microgreens can grow from seedlings in small containers, so you don’t need abundant space in order to have a go. Plant your seeds and cover with plastic wrap, keeping the soil moist. Within a week, you should have shoots ready for snipping.




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Chilies

Chilies are another fantastically easy food to have a go at growing, since they’ll provide you with an abundant crop for very minimal effort. Whether you grow them in a pot on the windowsill or in your backyard, these fierce little fruits are fantastic for stir-fries, curries and stews. They also freeze well, so you’ll always have some to hand. Simply plant the seeds found inside a shop-bought chili, sowing them indoors between February and April. If you have a backyard, move them outside in June. From July you should have ripe chilies ready for chopping.




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Garlic

Taking up minimal space and requiring hardly any effort, garlic is a simple yet useful food to grow at home. In fact, all you need to do is pop a spare clove into a pot of well-drained soil and sit it in a sunny place. You can plant your cloves in fall or spring, keeping them roughly 15cm (six inches) apart. One clove will produce a whole bulb, so don’t plant too many at once. Your garlic should be ready in July, when the leaves turn yellow. You’ll need to dry them in the sun for a few days, before they’ll be ready for dicing or roasting.




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Lettuce and salad greens

Another simple veggie to grow yourself is lettuce. Peppery, delicate, crunchy or crisp, salad leaves come in all shapes, sizes and flavors and are fantastic for first-timers looking for an easy starter option. Growing lettuce is fast too, and usually takes six weeks from sowing to picking. Sow seeds in intervals between March and September, to ensure a limitless crop. If you live in an urban apartment, a grow-your-own gadget will help you create an abundance of salad greens in your kitchen, using soil-free cultivation and smart technology.




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Beans and peas

From sugar snap peas to runner beans, these delicate yet flavorsome little gems are all wonderfully straightforward to grow. Requiring very little maintenance, other than regular watering, beans and peas germinate easily from seeds and will grow beautifully in a warm, sunny position. Those with ample outside space can create a simple cane trellis for the beans to climb, but those with smaller yards or patios will be pleased to hear that they also grow successfully in pots.




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Edible flowers

As pretty as they are practical, edible flowers serve multiple purposes. As well as being bold enough to attract essential insects and pollinators to your yard, edible flowers can also completely transform a dish. Adding color, flavor and decoration to any plate, they’re also easily grown in flower beds, window boxes and balcony pots, making them perfect for every yeatype of foodie. From elderflower to bergamot and hibiscus to marigold, they’re also a great way to get children excited about growing their own food. 




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Shallots

It might surprise you to learn that shallots are one of the easiest foods to grow. These mellow yet flavorsome onions are perfect sautéed in risotto, or caramelized and turned into chutney. Great for beginners, shallots can be grown using a simple and quick starter set, which is essentially a bulb that will develop fully in the ground. Plant your set in early spring or fall and keep each bulb about 15–20cm (six–eight inches) apart, to give the roots room to spread out.

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Tomatoes

Versatile and packed full of antioxidants, tomatoes are a seriously brilliant fruit. Coming in dozens of varieties, tomatoes can be grown in pots or in the ground, meaning they’re available to those with limited space. Sow your seeds any time from late-January until late-March and keep them on a warm, bright windowsill to encourage them to germinate. When they begin to grow, you can transfer the seedlings to compost, before moving them outside in late May. They love the sun, so keep them in a bright spot and water them regularly.




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Kale

From curly to lacinato (better known as cavolo nero), kale comes in numerous forms and is considered one of the world’s greatest superfoods. Jam-packed with goodness, this robust leafy cabbage has become one of our favorite green veggies and what’s even better, it’s simple to grow yourself. Plant seedlings in a sunny spot between March and June, into moist but well-drained soil. The ultimate cut-and-come-again crop, kale will replenish itself, meaning you should have a steady stream of greens between September and December.

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Blackberries

Blackberries are so low maintenance that they grow freely in wild locations. You will, however, need a fair amount of outdoor space in order to encourage them to thrive. You can buy bare-root blackberry plants between October and March and they love a sunny plot with well-drained soil. Be sure to space them about six feet (2m) apart and tie newly grown branches to bamboo canes to control their growth. By mid-summer, you’ll have wonderful berries ready to be turned into jelly, crumble or pie. 




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Beetroot

Whether boiled or roasted, cut into chips and fried, or grated into brownie batter, beetroots never fail to satisfy. Vibrant and brimming with goodness, these earthy root vegetables are a foolproof option for novice growers. Ideal for all sizes of outdoor space, beets will flourish in the ground, in a plant pot or in a raised bed. Sow the beet seeds into soil from mid-spring and keep them well-watered. Your beets will be ready after around three months. The leaves are fully edible too, so give them a go in a salad.




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Avocados

In recent years, avocados have risen to iconic status, thanks mainly to their abundant health benefits. A brunch staple, these sought-after fruits are brimming with healthy fats. Rather surprisingly, they’re also incredibly simple to grow at home. Perfect for those with limited outdoor space, they’re well suited for growing in pots, but they require a sunny spot in order to thrive. You can grow a new plant from a saved avocado stone. The seed will germinate after four weeks and will grow quickly if kept well-watered.

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Blueberries

An all-round superfood, blueberries are low in calories but high in essential nutrients and antioxidants. So what better fruit to grow at home? You might think they require lots of effort, but blueberries are actually easy to look after and if nurtured, will provide an abundant crop. You can buy a young blueberry tree from a garden center and plant it in a large pot, so they’re perfect for those with limited outdoor space. Don’t allow your plant to dry out and be sure to protect the berries from birds, who love them almost as much as we do.

Try this delicious baked blueberry cheesecake with your haul




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Sweetcorn

If you have slightly more space in your yard, consider growing yourself some corn. Nothing quite compares to a freshly-picked cob, steamed and slathered in salted butter. Trust us when we say you’ll never go back to store-bought after trying your own. Apart from needing room, sweetcorn is straight forward to grow and can even work well when planted in large pots. For easy results, purchase young sweetcorn seedlings and plant them straight into prepared soil in June. By August, you should have beautiful cobs ready for plucking.




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Rhubarb

Delicious stewed with sugar or served with lamb, rhubarb is a surprisingly versatile food. Despite being associated with sweet desserts, rhubarb is actually part of the sorrel family. It’s robust and doesn’t need to be grown from seeds. You can plant rhubarb crowns between fall and spring, but opt for a spacious, sunny spot and be sure not to over water them. Those with minimal space can also grow their rhubarb in a large pot, but it will need to be at least 50cm (20 inches) in both width and depth. Remember, rhubarb leaves are poisonous, so remove them before cooking.




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Strawberries

Fantastic on their own, slathered with cream or scattered onto a pavlova, strawberries are undoubtedly one of the best-loved summer fruits. A perfect option for beginners, they grow fantastically in hanging baskets, large pots and flower beds, so whether you have an extensive backyard or a small balcony, you can give them a go. Sow young strawberry plants between March and May and enjoy a summer of beautifully ripe berries. Cover the top of your soil with straw, to protect the berries and deter any pests from climbing onto them.




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Potatoes

The humble potato comes in endless varieties and can be eaten in countless ways. From fluffy jackets topped with butter to beautifully steamed new potatoes, it’s no wonder they’re a favorite. What’s even better, potatoes are hardy growers and are perfect for novices. They grow from plant seed potatoes (bulbs), but need space to develop. They work best when planted in narrow trenches about 12cm (five inches) deep. Sow between March and May and leave your spuds in the ground until the leaves turn yellow.

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Butternut squash

As one of the most popular autumnal vegetables in the UK, butternut squash is beautiful roasted with sage, stirred through risotto or blitzed into soups. Low in carbohydrates and high in a plethora of vitamins, butternut squash is also a superfood in its own right. What’s more, it’s surprisingly easy to grow. Sow your seeds directly into the soil in spring and within 15 weeks, they should be ready for roasting. Just be sure to keep them fed with a rich manure or liquid fertilizer as they love their grub.




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Radishes

Fantastic raw, pickled or roasted, radishes come in lots of varieties, including French Breakfast and Tarzan, meaning you can experiment with different types not available in the supermarket. Unfussy and fast-growing, radishes are perhaps the best starter vegetable for first-timers, since they like almost all types of soil and take just four weeks to fully develop. Sow your seeds directly into warm soil between March and August, either in the ground or in a pot, and keep them well watered for a healthy and abundant crop.




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Carrots

Carrots are amazing raw, roasted or steamed. Homegrown carrots are almost unrecognizable, packing a powerful punch that you won’t get from shop-bought varieties. Coming in a rainbow of unexpected colors, they also happen to be very simple to nurture. Sow your seeds in intervals between March and June and within 14 to 16 weeks, these beautiful veggies should be ready for picking. Don’t discard your carrot tops as they’re full of nutrients. Try carrot top pesto or sauté them with olive oil and garlic.




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Peppers

You might think that peppers need lots of space in order to thrive, but you’d be wrong. This sun-loving fruit (so called due to its seeds) flourishes in a greenhouse environment, but also does well in growing bags or in simple outdoor pots, if you place them somewhere warm and sunny. While you can grow peppers from seeds, including those saved from inside a shop-bought pepper, buying a young plant will be a faster and easier alternative, providing you with this salad and stir-fry staple within a matter of months. Plant between mid-February and early April.

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Zucchini

There are plenty of plus-points when it comes to growing zucchini. Firstly, it’s incredibly easy to achieve a decent harvest, since each plant produces a large amount of fruit, meaning you won’t need many in order to enjoy ample reward. Zucchini flowers are also edible and are delicious stuffed with herby ricotta and gently fried. Since they grow fairly large, your zucchini plants will need to be spaced at least 11 square feet (1sqm) apart, but they’ll also grow nicely in a large pot.

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