If you want to know exactly what’s in your food, growing your own organic vegetables is a great place to start. We asked Rob Smith, the author of ‘Grow to Eat: Growing Colourful And Tasty Vegetables From Seed’, to share five of the easiest organic vegetables to grow at home. Here’s what he suggests…
See our full range of organic vegetable seeds for more ideas.
- Organic salad leaf seeds: A brilliant first crop, salad leaf seeds germinate quickly, grow fast, and can be picked a few leaves at a time rather than waiting for one big harvest. Sow little and often from spring onwards and you’ll keep picking all season. Plus, growing organically means they haven’t been sprayed with who knows what, like those from the supermarket. They do well in containers, raised beds, or open ground and many varieties will be ready in just 4 to 6 weeks.
- Organic radish seeds: Radishes come up quickly, don’t need much space, and are perfect for filling gaps between slower crops. Sow them in-between cabbages, cauliflowers and slower-growing veggies to get a second crop from the same space. They can go from seed to harvest in roughly 4 weeks, and children love growing them because they’re so quick.
- Organic beetroot seeds: Beetroot is a dependable crop, and one I always think deserves more space as you can eat the entire thing with no waste! The roots are delicious roasted or pickled, while the leaves make a tasty addition to salads. If you multi-sow your organic beetroot seeds in modules, you can dot them around the plot as soon as there’s space from harvesting another crop. They’re well suited to UK conditions and can be sown direct into the soil from spring to mid-summer.
- Organic courgette seeds: One of the easiest veg to grow in summer, you get loads of courgettes from a single plant! Courgettes are perfect for grilling, soups, chutney, cakes and even eating raw in salads when they’re very small. They need a little space to grow well, but if you keep picking the fruits they produce a great crop.
- Organic runner bean seeds: Runner beans are a staple on most allotments because of how much they produce. You’ll need to keep picking every other day to make sure they stay tender, but they’re easy to grow and very tasty. Organic runner bean seeds germinate readily, especially once the soil has warmed, and they make excellent use of your vertical space.
Organic vegetables are grown without synthetic fertilisers or chemical pesticides. Read our article on companion planting for tips on how to protect your crops from pests.