Fancy creating your own supply of juicy fruits, crunchy vegetables and fresh salad greens? This selection of great foods sprout more-or-less like magic out of the ground—with the minimum of effort. Whether you’ve only a windowsill, garden or balcony, get planting today. Here are ten of the easiest fruit and veg you can grow, with step-by-step instructions from the experts at Garden Organic.

Salad

Lettuce, rocket and other crunchy leaves are easy to grow. Cut them and they keep coming back!

Super-easy to grow indoors all year around
Constant harvest – leaves can be picked over and again and they’ll grow back
Pick’n’ mix your favourite flavours, textures and varieties – peppery rocket, crunchy lettuce, exotic oriental saladini

Complete growing directions

You can grow salad all year inside. Try mixing different lettuces or adding rocket. Oriental varieties work best for winter use – sow in September and they’ll last you until March.
Fill a seed tray with compost.
Toss over about a quarter of a teaspoon of salad seeds.
Cover with a sprinkling of compost, water it carefully and place it on a sunny windowsill.
Don’t let it dry out.
Hint: Try stretching cling film over the top of the tray to keep moisture in. Take it off as soon as seedlings start to appear.
When the plants are about 3in tall you can start cutting them and they’ll keep growing back again and again.

Alternative method: you can grow salad in 12 inch pot or directly in the soil in your garden.

Watering

The easiest way to tell if something needs watering is with your finger: poke it into the soil to test.
If the soil is damp just under the surface, don’t water. If it is dry up to the first crease of your finger then you need to water.
Seeds and seedlings need care when watering – use a fine-head watering can so you don’t over-water them.
It is better to water well infrequently than to sprinkle a little every day.

Tomatoes

Sun and a stick – that’s all you need.

Satisfying, tasty and fun to grow, especially for kids
It doesn’t get any easier than this: plant in late May in a sunny spot.
Feeling adventurous? There loads of different varieties to try out.
Relish the superb home-grown flavour that goes with everything.

Complete growing directions

Buy some tomato seedlings. ‘Cordon’ types are best as they grow up to 5 feet tall and so keep your tomatoes away from pests.
Hint: three plants will produce a lot of tomatoes in a good year so don’t sow too many unless you have loads of friends.
Plant 3 plants equally spaced in a growbag and water them.
Tie the plants to stakes if they need support as they grow.
Once flowers start to form, take a good look at the plants. You will see little side shoots that are not carrying flowers coming out at the points where main leaves are attached to the stem. You should pinch these off to give your tomatoes the best chance of ripening.

Alternative method: you can grow tomatoes in 12 inch pot (one plant in each pot) or directly in the soil in your garden (18 inches apart).

Watering

The easiest way to tell if something needs watering is with your finger: poke it into the soil to test.
If the soil is damp just under the surface, don’t water. If it is dry up to the first crease of your finger then you need to water.
Seeds and seedlings need care when watering – use a fine-head watering can so you don’t over-water them.
It is better to water well infrequently than to sprinkle a little every day.

Pea Shoots

Flavoursome and a snap to get sprouting.

Young pea shoots are tasty and make a great side salad
Cut the shoots off when they’re young and they’ll keep coming back for more
Alternatively, leave the shoots to grow into full plants and pluck the fresh peas straight from the pods.

Complete growing directions

Pea seeds are popular with mice, voles and a host of birds, so it’s best to get them started indoors.
Half fill a seed tray with compost.
Sow about 50 seeds evenly across the surface, fill the tray to the top with compost, water carefully and place on a windowsill.
As soon as the seedlings emerge you can plant them out in the garden. To do this make a shallow trench in the soil about 2 inches deep and 6 inches wide and carefully place the sprouted seeds roughly an inch apart along the trench.
Carefully place soil over the top and gently press it down. Water the seedlings.
When the plants are about 5 inches tall cut off the shoots to leave about an inch of stem. These will reshoot so you can enjoy them again and again.

Alternative method: you can leave the shoots to grow into full-sized plants and harvest plump pods of peas. To do this you will need to use canes and netting. Learn more at Garden Organic.

Watering

The easiest way to tell if something needs watering is with your finger: poke it into the soil to test.
If the soil is damp just under the surface, don’t water. If it is dry up to the first crease of your finger then you need to water.
Seeds and seedlings need care when watering – use a fine-head watering can so you don’t over-water them.
It is better to water well infrequently than to sprinkle a little every day.

Courgette

Straightforward to grow. Bumper crop guaranteed.

Easiest if bought as a young plant in early summer
Simple to grow in a pot or in the garden.
One plant will easily feed one person. Two plants is just greedy!

Complete growing directions

Buy a young plant. They’re generous plants and one will be easily enough to feed one person.
Hint: make sure the frosts are over in your area before planting as frost kills young courgette plants.
Plant them directly into the soil about 3 feet apart in the garden. Water and wait!

Watering

The easiest way to tell if something needs watering is with your finger: poke it into the soil to test.
If the soil is damp just under the surface, don’t water. If it is dry up to the first crease of your finger then you need to water.
Seeds and seedlings need care when watering – use a fine-head watering can so you don’t over-water them.
It is better to water well infrequently than to sprinkle a little every day.

Strawberries

Do we need to say how good these are?

Very verstaile, they can be grown in the garden, in a large pot or even in a hanging basket. Bite that fruit straight off the plant!
If bought as young plants in April or May, they’ll produce tasty fruit in weeks.
They also produce beautiful flowers.
Kids love them

Complete growing directions

You can buy plants mail order or from a garden centre. Buy about 6: any less will leave you unsatisfied.
Plant 3 plants equally spaced in a growbag or individual plants in 12 inch pots. Water and wait!
Hint: birds like strawberries too—nets can keep them off.

Alternative method: you can buy specially designed strawberry pots or plant directly into the soil in your garden (15 inches apart).

Watering

The easiest way to tell if something needs watering is with your finger: poke it into the soil to test.
If the soil is damp just under the surface, don’t water. If it is dry up to the first crease of your finger then you need to water.
Seeds and seedlings need care when watering – use a fine-head watering can so you don’t over-water them.
It is better to water well infrequently than to sprinkle a little every day.

Beetroot

Crunchy, super-healthy and incredibly easy to grow.

Really easy to grow. It’s one of the nation’s best selling vegetable seeds.
Can be sown straight into the garden or in a big pot.
Harvest the fat red globes in the autumn.
Tender and crunchy when fresh.

Complete growing directions

Beetroot seeds will produce several seedlings each.
In a long container sow seeds in pairs in a row 9 inches apart, or in an 18 inch pot sow 3 pairs of seeds equally spaced.
Water and wait. The seedlings will shove each other aside to give you a harvest of fat red globes.

Alternative method: you can sow seeds directly into the soil in your garden (9 inches apart).

Watering

The easiest way to tell if something needs watering is with your finger: poke it into the soil to test.
If the soil is damp just under the surface, don’t water. If it is dry up to the first crease of your finger then you need to water.
Seeds and seedlings need care when watering – use a fine-head watering can so you don’t over-water them.
It is better to water well infrequently than to sprinkle a little every day.

Mint

Refreshing and tasty. One plant will spawn a forest!

Buy as a young plant from a garden centre
Stick it on your windowsill and it will grow all year
Fantastic, refreshing scent
Perfect with lamb, fish, salad and peas
Also great in lemonade, tea, and cocktails!

Complete growing directions

Mint can be grown indoors or out over the summer, and indoors all through the winter.
Buy a young plant—spearmint or peppermint grow well.
Place the plant in a 12 inch pot and fill below and around it with compost. Water it and place it on a sunny windowsill or in a sunny spot outside.
Pick and eat the growing tips. The shoots will be ready once they are 3 or 4 inches tall.

Alternative method: mint can be grown directly in the soil in your garden, but it’s a bit more complicated as you will need to plant it in a bag to stop it spreading. (Link to Garden Organic site)

Watering

The easiest way to tell if something needs watering is with your finger: poke it into the soil to test.
If the soil is damp just under the surface, don’t water. If it is dry up to the first crease of your finger then you need to water.
Seeds and seedlings need care when watering – use a fine-head watering can so you don’t over-water them.
It is better to water well infrequently than to sprinkle a little every day.

Onions

Just stick them in the ground. That’s it.

Not even slightly difficult to grow. Just plant sets (small baby onions) in the spring. Dig them up from late summer.
Experiment with whole range of different onions: spring, pickling, shallots
With a big enough plot you could easily to get a year’s supply from one crop (if stored well, they keep for months)

Complete growing directions

Buy ‘sets’—tiny immature onions made for planting.
Make V-shaped trenches in the soil, 10 inches apart (use the edge of a rake or hoe).
Place the sets upright in the rows 4 inches apart and replace the soil right up to their necks. Water and wait!
Hint: birds might tweak your bulbs out by their necks, thinking they are worms. If they do, just pop them back in.
To harvest let the leaves turn brown, lift out the bulbs and put them somewhere to dry.

Watering

The easiest way to tell if something needs watering is with your finger: poke it into the soil to test.
If the soil is damp just under the surface, don’t water. If it is dry up to the first crease of your finger then you need to water.
Seeds and seedlings need care when watering – use a fine-head watering can so you don’t over-water them.
It is better to water well infrequently than to sprinkle a little every day.

Dwarf French Beans

Small ones are more juicy…

Sow from April and reap a forest of tasty pods a couple of months later
Easier to tend, dwarf beans don’t need support like t beans.
Delicious with everything: bacon, beef, chicken, and white fish. The French know it!

Complete growing directions

French bean seeds are popular with slugs and snails, so it’s best to get them started indoors.
Almost fill a 4 inch pot with compost.
Add two seeds, cover with compost and water carefully.
Once the seedlings have emerged remove the weaker one and let the other grow till the roots start to grow out of the base of the pot.
Then you can plant them out in the garden. To do this dig out a hole big enough to take the whole root. Gently knock the plant out of its pot and place it in the hole with the base of the stem at soil level. Press the soil back in around it.
Water each plant in and wait for the pods.

Watering

The easiest way to tell if something needs watering is with your finger: poke it into the soil to test.
If the soil is damp just under the surface, don’t water. If it is dry up to the first crease of your finger then you need to water.
Seeds and seedlings need care when watering – use a fine-head watering can so you don’t over-water them.
It is better to water well infrequently than to sprinkle a little every day.

Pumpkin

Plant now for the Halloween harvest

Super tasty and super healthy and super fun to grow.
Choose between a giant kind for carving into a lantern or a more tasty variety (which often look a little weird!)
Plant. Wait for Halloween season. That’s it.
The super-healthy seeds are even delicious toasted.

Complete growing directions

Buy a young plant. Choose between a giant kind for carving into a lantern or a more tasty variety (which often look a little weird!)
Hint: make sure the frosts are over in your area before planting as frost kills young pumpkins.
Plant them directly into the soil about 3 feet apart in the garden. Water and wait!
Grow your pumpkins on to maturity and only harvest after the leaves have started to wither and crisp.
Remove your pumpkins with a short length of stem and leave them out in the sun or in a shed to dry out, so that the skin hardens.

Watering

The easiest way to tell if something needs watering is with your finger: poke it into the soil to test.
If the soil is damp just under the surface, don’t water. If it is dry up to the first crease of your finger then you need to water.
Seeds and seedlings need care when watering – use a fine-head watering can so you don’t over-water them.
It is better to water well infrequently than to sprinkle a little every day.

Source: Eat Seasonably