Grow Your Own vegetables

Perennial crops offer their bounty year after year… for minimal effort. Expert grower Anthony Bennett looks at the…

Ready to be seduced by the culinary crown-holder of the veg patch? Then now’s the time to plant some asparagus for…

Aubergines are an everyday sight in kitchens on the Med and in South-East Asia – but do you need the corresponding warm…

Searching for a herb that’s as attractive as it is flavoursome? Look no further than the myriad leaf textures and…

If you’re only familiar with shop-bought beetroot, growing your own can be a minor revelation, especially as they’re…

Banish thoughts of soggy school-dinner sprouts – modern breeding has transformed this crop into a reliable performer…

Make some space for calabrese - the vegetable that you buy from the supermarket labelled as broccoli. You’ll be…

Whether fattened from nearly a year’s growth, or picked young and tender a few months after sowing, home-grown carrots…

It’s sown at a time when virtually all other veg are ready to harvest, provides a gourmet-standard crop in the midst…

If you thought a packet of red, green and yellow chillies from the shops, both undersized and overpriced, was as exciting…

Courgettes are renowned for producing heavy summer yields, and are also an easy veg to get underway. Once established…

Sun-loving fennel offers an explosion of aniseed to many dishes. If you’ve a warm, sheltered spot then you will…

A firm favourite in continental Europe, French beans are a surprisingly versatile crop that’s also easy to grow.…

Variety-starved supermarket shoppers might believe these flavoursome bulbs to be as straightforward as they come. But…

You won’t need much time on your hands to get these low-maintenance veg underway. The hardy greens will grow through…

Its odd-looking shape and little-known standing in the kitchen has put this vegetable in the shade.  Yet gardeners…

Looking for a hardy crop that will withstand the winter? Leeks will tough out the coldest times of year while offering…

It pays to familiarise yourself with the ins and outs of growing onions. Get your timing right, and you can have a supply…

Anyone who has had the pleasure of travelling to countries such as Japan or China will appreciate the bewildering but…

It’s easy to understand why this crop is back in fashion. Recent decades saw the parsnip’s popularity decline…

They’re Britain’s most popular vegetable, but you might never buy another one once you’ve enjoyed the…

With their oversized leaves and chunky fruits, pumpkins and winter squashes are the giants of the veg patch. After planting…

If you’re looking to try your hand at a plant that will reward you with a bumper crop throughout summer and autumn…

Feeling impatient? Quick-growing cut-and-come-again salads can be raised just about anywhere and will give you a crop…

Shallots are often overlooked in favour of their popular larger cousin, the onion, but there are many reasons why kitchen…

There are few veg that remain enormously productive in the face of extreme cold and exposure. But spring cabbages sown…

Worried that springtime means a bare plot and a reluctant reliance on the shops? Sprouting broccoli crops from February…

Nothing beats the super-sweetness of freshly-picked corn on the cob. Thanks to the increasing range of varieties suited…

There’s nothing quite like the taste of freshly-picked tomatoes, and the good news is anyone can grow them. Expert…

Winter squashes encapsulate the very best flavours of the growing season and can be stored from now until spring, so expand…