Grow Your Own Summer Vegetables



Posted: Thursday, January 07, 2010

by Mark Bartley

If you want to harvest your own vegetables all year round then produce that ripens in the summertime will be important to you. Your choices include herbs, squashes, sweetcorn and lettuce amongst other salad varieties.

If you are a keen cook, what better than being able to pick a selection of home grown herbs from your own garden or herb patch? Using a container with a diameter of at least 30cm (12"), or a trough, fill with a mixture of 80 per cent compost to 20 per cent grit to ensure free draining. Next, plant up. Parsley, mint (which needs to be confined as it will spread to fill any area it is allowed to. Just pot the plant in a small plastic pot, and plant in the container with the pot rim just above the level of the compost), thyme, basil, marjoram, coriander, and dill are just some of the herbs you can grow.

Squashes gain size rapidly and in order to fuel that growth, they need plenty of food and nutrients. To grow, place a couple of shovel fulls of manure or compost into a spacious hole, then refill using the previously dug out soil. This will leave a small mound. Plant the seed in the centre of the mound and water generously. Butternut squash, courgettes, small scallopini/pattypan, and pumpkin are all good options.

French beans, runner beans and peas are types of legume, and as such enjoy positions with full sun and a very rich soil. Dig a long trench and add manure or compost lining the bottom. Refill with soil, leave for a week or two to settle. While settling, you can build the support for the plants. As beans grow by twining, use bamboo or man-made canes and garden string to construct a framework that they can climb up. Peas climb using tendrils, so they will need netting supported by stakes, peasticks (woody twigs, usually hazel or birch prunings), or canes and string to grow up.

Early summer is the perfect time to plant sweetcorn. It is well worth growing as the taste of cooked sweetcorn which has been freshly picked is simply a delight. To ensure successful pollination, plant in a block e.g 20 plants, 5 plants to a row, 4 rows with the plants seperated by 45 centimetres. Sow 2 seeds per hole, and remove the weaker plant later. The cobs will be ready to eat when the tassles turn brown and the kernals are yellow and no longer white. An interesting way to plant sweetcorn is using the "three sisters" technique, whereby it is grown along with squash to provide a living mulch, and beans which are given supported by the corn.

Home lettuce is simple to grow and there are a wide range of types to choose from. Simply sow your chosen variety, or mix several different kinds together. Sow in a row, resowing every 2-4 weeks until September to provide a continuous supply. Water well, and once the plants are sufficiently large, cut as much as you require using scissors. The cut plant will continue growing and can be cut several times. excellent varities include little gem, rocket and lollo rossa.

Almost anyone can grow vegetables at home. All you need is a patch of ground or enough room for a few containers, some simple basic equipment and some sound advice. Have a go next season and taste better vegetables.

grow vegetables
Mark Bartley is a well respected writer on consumer affairs and a customer champion. He has experience in several industries including travel, finance, retail and leisure. He seeks to provide useful information from an unbiased viewpoint and helps people understand complicated market areas and find the best deals or services available.
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