Nothing beats the feeling of growing your own vegetables and harvesting them yourself! As the summer season slowly turns to autumn, it is not too late to plant a few crops, harvest them at a later date then juice them up or turn them into a nutritious meal. If you are looking forward to growing your own summer crops at home, these are the easiest one you can pick, plant and grow!
It does not matter if your garden is small. To ensure a wonderful harvest, your vegetables will need a lot of tending, water, sun and a whole lot of love!
Different Vegetables You Can Grow In Your Garden
Grow some leafy vegetables. Salad leaves come in a variety of wonderful flavours and textures. To fully enjoy the bounty of summer, try different combinations of leafy vegetables by cutting them fresh. You can harvest them all summer long.
- Broccoli. If you want to enjoy a summer and autumn harvest, plant some broccoli in your garden. If the winter cold is not too harsh, you can still plant them around August or September in a polytunnel or greenhouse and enjoy an abundant harvest at the beginning of the year.
- Cabbage. Plant this vegetable late in the summer or early in autumn and you will be able to get a bounty harvest early in spring.
- Chards and greens. You can plant leaf beet, chard and winter spinach late in the summer to enjoy a harvest in autumn and springtime.
- Kale. If you plant kale late in the summer, you can harvest the baby leaves (sow the Nero de Toscana or other varieties in a greenhouse or tunnel) during autumn and leave the rest for early spring harvest. If you will be sowing your kale outdoors, the Red Ursa variety is good because it can survive winter and give your harvest during spring.
- Lettuce. So that you can still enjoy salads in the next season, plant summer varieties of lettuce. This will give you harvest during July up to August.
- Mustard greens. These greens are tougher than your milder greens. They can even survive the harshest of winter. If enjoyed raw, they have a spicy kick in its taste, so just put a few if you are planning to add it in your fresh salad. If enjoyed cooked, the spicy taste somewhat disappears, leaving a full and rich flavour with just a hint of spiciness.
- Oriental greens. If you love milder greens in your salad, plant some oriental greens during summer. They can tolerate the cold of winter and great if you do not have time to grow winter vegetables like Brussels spout. Oriental greens are great for salads and cooking. Bok choy, Chinese cabbage, Mibuna, Mispoona, Mizuna and Tatsoi can be planted in midsummer until the first month of autumn. They can survive winter if you have a greenhouse or polytunnel.
- Scallions. They are easier to grow than regular onions. If you want to harvest something in winter and spring, you can plant these late in the summer.
- Spinach. This vegetable is closely related to the rainbow chard and spinach beet. You can sow them directly in the soil or in pots and made ready for harvest during winter until spring.
- Winter lettuce. If you want to enjoy green leafy vegetables in winter, winter lettuce is particularly good when planted in the middle of summer and autumn transition. They can be harvested in autumn and winter (if you have a cloche, mini tunnel or polytunnel). The Winter Marvel lettuce can be planted during autumn and winter.
Beetroot. This is a root vegetable that is often added in salads or eaten boiled. It can be planted directly in the ground during spring and summer. Harvest can be done late in spring and early in autumn. Chilli peppers. These vegetables can be grown in your garden or inside your house (by the window sill). If you want to add warmth into your dishes, add a bit of chilli pepper that is freshly picked. Try putting cayenne pepper on a put and watch it grown by your kitchen window!
Cucumber. Is a great addition to fresh salads or a cool pitcher of Pimm’s, however cucumber is not only for eating! It is known to some to be used on your eyes to reduce eye puffiness, or with a face mask. To others,
Go bonkers over beans. If you only have small pots to plant your vegetables in and you only want to sow vegetables that will grow quickly, try planting broad beans and runner beans in springtime. If you have enough space, you can also sow them in the ground too. You can pick your harvest in time for summer.
Peas. You can sow this crop late in spring and early in summer to enjoy a bounty harvest the entire summer. This crop can withstand cold temperatures. You just need to support their stems so that they can keep on growing.
Potatoes. They are considered as one of the easiest vegetables to grow. You can sow them in compost-filled bags after midwinter and water them regularly. You can reap the harvest in 10 to 20 weeks.
Pumpkins. They are fleshy and nutrient-dense vegetables that are low in calories. To harvest the crops just in time for Halloween, sow the seeds during springtime.
Quinoa. It is a plant that is known for its high protein grain. If soaked, the grains can be cooked like rice. They can be planted during spring to ensure harvest in autumn.
Radishes and spring onions. Add a bit of kick and colour to your salads with radishes and spring onions. Both plants can be easily grown in pots or directly in the ground.
Sow some maintenance-free produce. Garlic and onions are very easy to grow. Simply plant bulbs and cloves during spring and autumn then harvest them for usage or storage during summer! How easy is that?
Tomatoes. Just like garlic and onions, tomatoes can be easily grown too. Whether you decide to plant Tomatillos, Cherry cascades or the bush varieties, you only need to feed and water them every now and then. If you want kids to appreciate the value of gardening, growing tomatoes is ideal because they can watch the plat grow before their very eyes!
Zucchini. Otherwise known as courgette, this vegetable from the cucurbit variety can be sown after mid-spring. Wait for the flowers to bloom and transform into a fleshy marrow.
If you are thinking of sorting out your vegetable patch then give Enterprise Works a call on 07392 109856 and take a look at our planters to pop your crops in.
