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Nothing beats the taste of fresh veggies
straight from the garden.
With your own vegetable garden, you
can grow exactly what you want.
And you'll know exactly what you're eating,
where they've come from, and that they're
free of nasty pesticides.
I'll show you how to plan out a veggie garden, get it growing,
and how to take care of it, easy as.
You can create a veggie garden at any time of the year.
Spring is traditionally the best time, though,
as more vegetables will be in season.
If you don't have an existing veggie garden,
then pick out a nice sunny, sheltered area
to turn into your new veggie patch.
Raised beds like this are a great option.
When it comes to soil, the easiest thing to do
is to grab some vegetable mix.
Use it straight or add it into your existing soil
to improve the quality, along with a liquid fertilizer
like seaweed tonic.
If you're digging yourself a new veggie garden,
then you'll want to have a look at the soil before you start,
as there's no point in going any further if it's not
in good condition.
If you find some clay, add some gypsum to help break it down.
Ideally you want your soil looking more like this.
There's a massive selection of vegetables to choose from.
Have a look at our free growing plan, which
you can find on our website.
It will show you what's in season, when
to plan your crops, and when they will be ready to harvest.
You can grow veggies from seeds, but the easy option
is to grab yourself some seedlings.
They'll save you time, and you often only need a few plants.
When planning your vegetable garden,
you want to create sections or growing zones.
Now with a garden bed this sort of size,
we're going to split it into roughly six zones.
So we're going to have courgettes in this far corner,
some beans in the middle, and some cucumbers in this corner.
And we want some lettuce in here,
so we're going to have that up the front.
Some broccoli in the middle, and spring
onions in this back corner.
Now remember to plan for succession.
Beginners often make the mistake of planting the whole garden
in October, which means everything
is ready to be harvested all at the same time,
just as you go away on holiday.
So stagger your planting.
Sew a little, but often.
Make use of the season changes and rotate your crops.
Planting done.
Time to prepare the bed for planting.
Add your veggie mix.
Don't be shy to use a lot.
And work it through the existing soil.
Then position your seedlings as per your plan
and start planting.
So first we're going to get our cucumber in.
Dig a little hole roughly the same size as the pot.
Easy way to check that is just place it in.
We're happy with that.
Just a light squeeze of the pot to check is not too root bound.
And then gently take him out, pop him in the ground.
Just pat the soil around the base.
Nice and firm.
And he's ready to go.
Make sure to check the back of the tag for the ideal spacing
for each plant.
Now we've got some space left in our veggie garden,
so it's always a nice idea to plant some companion
plants like marigolds.
Not only will they add some color,
but they'll also help to attract bees and keep pests away.
All planted.
Give them a good watering in.
And finally, add a layer of mulch
to help retain moisture and keep the weeds at bay.
During dry weather, it's important to keep your plants
well watered.
If they suffer moisture distress,
they may bolt to seed, which will affect their taste.
Feed them regularly with a vegetable food that's got
the ideal NPK ratio for veggies, with a higher dose
of nitrogen, N, for the foliage, phosphorus, P, for root growth,
and potassium, K for fruit and flowering.
Veggies are susceptible to pests and disease,
so keep an eye out for slugs, snails, aphids,
green fly, and powdery mildew.
If you're not sure what you're looking at, just like a photo
and bring it in.
When spraying for insects, an organic spray like pyrethrum
is a good way to avoid chemicals.
But if you're using a chemical spray,
be sure to check the withholding period.
This is the period of time that must
pass between spraying and harvesting,
and it'll be on the label.
When they're ready, each veggie needs
to be harvested differently.
For our spring onions, pull them out, roots and all.
With beans, courgettes, and cucumbers,
cut them from the vine.
For salad crops, cut leaves from the outside
in, and with broccoli, cut the stalk about 10 centimeters
below the head.
As you can see, with the right planning
you can create a veggie garden that'll put food
on the table all year round.
And best of all, you can do it yourself, easy as.
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