Site and soil Onions need a well-drained, fertile soil in full sun to grow well. Some shelter from the wind helps prevent the tops from being bent over prematurely and this can bring growth to a halt. On exposed sites they may benefit from a short stake to provide a little support. If you are […]

Growing your own lettuce is easy and quick and unlike lettuce from the supermarket it is really fresh. You can grow a myriad of different sorts to provide really fancy salads that will wow family and friends. Types of Lettuce The seed catalogues are packed with many different forms of lettuce each with their own […]

What could be better than a vegetable that‘s easy to grow, isn‘t troubled by frosts and needs little attention until you come to dig it up in the winter when there are few other fresh vegetables to be had? Leeks tick all these boxes and now is a good time to get started. There are […]

Home-grown garlic is far superior to shop bought; it is more succulent and flavoursome and with a range of varieties to choose from you can experience the subtle differences in flavour. It isn‘t a difficult crop to grow but it is in the ground a long time so ideally find a sunny corner or edge […]

Quick and easy to grow, cougettes have a reputation for producing prolific pickings. Follow our back to basics guide for your best ever results. While their pumped-up cousin the marrow is a familiar staple, courgettes are a relative newcomer to the UK veg scene. Perhaps it’s thanks to all those Mediterranean holidays and the fact […]

The humble carrot is such an important staple crop for many of us and with a little care and by selecting the right varieties it is possible to have fresh roots from the garden for much of the year. Carrots can be the easiest or the hardest of crops to grow; if conditions are right […]

Spring is just the time when veg is in short supply and expensive in the shops so plan ahead and sow some cabbage now for an early harvest next year. If you think your plot looks bare in spring with not a lot to harvest then try growing spring cabbages and spring greens so that […]

Packed with goodness and with their own delicate flavour, which has made them a favourite with gourmet chefs, broccoli and its close cousin, calabrese deserve to be on the menu on your plot, too. Follow our easy guide to growing these nutritious crops. Recent research proves what gardeners and mums with families to feed have […]

There are two types, climbing or dwarf, and they can either form round pods or flat and sometimes coloured, too. They are easy to grow and just one plant will produce many beans over a number of weeks Propagation French beans are not hardy so make early sowings indoors in pots or cell trays. Use […]

Colourful beetroot has made a comeback! No longer seen simply as a root veg only good for pickling, it is now eaten raw – roots, stems and leaves – as well as in many traditional recipes such as borscht and as an ingredient in wines and cakes. Of course it is delicious when served hot […]

Thanks to the fantastic Kitchen Garden magazine, Hartley Botanic brings you the best advice for both novice and experienced gardeners on how to grow the most popular vegetables in your gardens or greenhouses. Choose from 17 delicious crops from beetroot to tomatoes. With detailed instructions and discussions on different varieties of each vegetable, this series […]