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your own Fruit Vegetables Salad Herbs

Get started growing fruit and vegetables

If you’re new to growing fruit or vegetables, you might have no idea how to get started. In fact, the mere thought of it can be quite intimidating. But don’t worry; it’s totally natural to feel a bit daunted and have a load of questions…

What sort of food can I actually grow in the UK? 

How is growing my own food more sustainable?

Where can I grow stuff at home? 

What do I need to grow fruit and vegetables? 

How many hours will I need to dedicate towards this?

Is it going to cost me loads of money? 

The good news? We’re here to help! It doesn’t matter if you’ll be growing food indoors, have a small patio available, or acres of rolling fields. Nor if you’ve got a full time job and a family to look after. We’ll give you all of the growing guidance (and confidence!) you need.

So, where do we start?

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Your Growing Options

Next, let’s think about how you’ll be growing your food, and how to get started growing fruit and vegetables using several different methods.

Check out the videos below to get started >>>

Pots & Window Boxes

Text of Pots on a background of upcycled chest of drawers
WHAT DO I NEED?

To grow fruit and vegetables in a pot, you’ll need a few basic things:

  1. Pot. Choose pots that are appropriate for the size of the plant you want to grow (larger plants require bigger pots). Make sure the pots have drainage holes to allow the water to drain out. You can pick these up cheaply at any home store.
  2. Stones/ broken pots. This helps drainage at the bottom of the pot to maintain the health of your plant. You can use rocks, large stones or gravel – whatever is lying around!
  3. Soil. Try to use decent-quality peat-free soil that will provide nutrients to your plants.
  4. Seeds. Choose what you want to grow and order seeds – they’re super cheap online, and we love these guys: Chiltern Seeds
  5. Watering Can. If not, a jug that pours easily to water them regularly.
  6. Plant Feed. Pot-grown plants will need more nutrients than bedding plants, so try and get some extra food to your plants now and again if possible.
  7. Stake. Some plants may need a bit of extra support as they grow.  You can use any sort of stick or cane for this. 
  8. Sunlight! Make sure your pots get plenty of light, but not too much direct heat or they’ll dry out.
  9. Tools are optional – with pots you can use your hands for planting, or regular kitchen implements if you’re lifting/ digging.
WHAT CAN I GROW?

Good news – you can grow lots of different fruit and vegetables in pots. A few ideas to get you started:

  • Tomatoes
  • Cucumbers
  • Peppers
  • Chillis
  • Salad Greens (Lettuce/ Spinach)
  • Herbs (Basil, Parsley, Thyme)
  • Carrots
  • Radishes
  • Strawberries
  • Green Beans

Just bear in mind that the size of the pot will determine how much you can grow. The larger the pot, the more plants you can manage.

"No Dig" Beds

No Dig text on a background of a No Dig vegetable Bed
WHAT DO I NEED?

Firstly, figure out where you want to make your bed. Any outdoor space will do, as long as it will get plenty of sunlight.

  1. Cardboard. Use this to lay down on your grass to create the base for your bed. Use large brown cardboard boxes for this. 
  2. Compost/ Quality Peat-Free Soil. You can grab a bag from a garden centre to layer on top of your cardboard base. If you have compost from your compost heap, now is a great time to use it.
  3. Mulch. This is an optional add – use it to keep moisture in your soil but if you don’t have anything suitable to hand don’t worry too much. As long as your compost is of decent quality you’ll be fine. You can use a layer of straw, leaves or woodchips.
WHAT CAN I GROW?

Lots of fruit and vegetables will do well in the nutrient-rich growing environment that No Dig Beds provide. 

Plus, lots of these foods don’t need deep soil to grow. Why not try:

  • Leafy Greens (Lettuce, Spinach, Kale)
  • Root Vegetables (Carrots, Beetroot, Radishes) – although you may need to loosen the soil when planting these guys
  • Tomatoes
  • Peppers
  • Strawberries

Raised Beds

Beds text on a background of a raised vegetable bed
WHAT DO I NEED?

Raised beds are a great way to grow your own fruit and vegetables as they offer improved drainage, good soil quality and they warm earlier in the spring, so plants will begin to grow sooner in the season. 

However, they do require a bit more work to build at the outset. You’ll need:

  1. Materials. This is to build the walls of your bed. Bricks or concrete blocks are a fairly simple solution or use wooden planks/ sleepers (Pine or Cedar are best) for a more traditional look. For ease, we actually used a raised-bed kit (available at our store below LINK), or you could be clever and upcycle something (like a cattle feeder or old sink!).
  2. Tools. Whatever you’ll need to construct the bed. If you’re using wood, then you’ll likely need Saw, Drill, Screws/ Nails, Spirit Level and Tape Measure. You’ll then need a spade to transfer the…
  3. Soil. You’ll need enough to fill the entire bed, but you can use a mix of topsoil, compost and other organic material to fill the bed. Check out “Lynne’s Lasagne” method in the video above!
WHAT CAN I GROW?

You can grow a vast range of fruit and vegetables in a raised bed, so you’ve got loads of options:

  • Tomatoes (don’t forget a stake for support)
  • Leafy Greens (Lettuce, Spinach, Kale) do well in raised beds too
  • Root Vegetables (Carrots, Radishes, Beetroot)
  • Peppers
  • Squashes (they love a bit of space so they do well in beds where they can spread out)
  • Herbs (Basil, Parsley, Rosemary, Thyme)
  • Strawberries (unlike Squashes, (don’t need a lot of space so you can pack a lot into a smaller area. Plus they love the improved drainage). 

Grab what you need to get started growing fruit and vegetables

The Grow Up Amazon Store

Use a few of these ideas as a guide to grab what you need
Check out our recommended products

Check out our Starter blog posts

These super simple blog post ideas are helpful when you’re just getting started, and should get you growing your own fruit and vegetables with minimum effort. There are also loads more tucked away in The Tool Shed. So grab a cuppa and have a read!

Other Places to get started growing fruit and vegetables

Use our Monthly Growing Guide Pages as a handy reference to get started growing fruit and vegetables in any given month, while keeping up with your most important tasks

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