Grow your own MADE EASY

Sarah Raven shares her go-to veg and tips for growing success

- ESME CLEMO

When I first started growing 35 years ago, I began with food. A Green Oak Leaf lettuce that I could pick a few leaves from every day for my supper, all year round.

For me, it was and still is all about the foodie varieties of veg and how to grow the maximum amount of delicious produce from every corner of my garden at Perch Hill in East Sussex. Having trialled and tested so many varieties of veg here, and now nearing 60, it feels like it's time to hand over everything I've learnt.

MY GROWING GUIDE

Put the two-season system into practice

Think of the year as divided into two growing seasons: May to September, and October to April. From May to September, plant out half-hardy and tender varieties, such as tomatoes, beans and cucumbers that like hot, dry weather and a lot of light. Then from October to April, focus on hardy annuals that like the cold and wet, low-light levels and are frost-resistant. The system simplifies things, so all you need to know is which of those two categories plants fall into.

Avoid space-guzzlers

People are often attracted to growing potatoes, carrots, cabbages and asparagus because they're delicious and are meant to be easy, but they're a disaster if you only have a small amount of space. In contrast, cutand-come-again crops can be picked carefully and returned to the following week to be picked again, providing more food in a fraction of the space.

Begin with herbs