3. Garlic
Garlic is among the easiest crops to grow.“You can just plant it and forget about it,” she says.
The only disadvantage is that it can take nine months to grow from seed to harvest, but if you plant cloves, each clove will turn into a head – a whole bulb – of garlic, she enthuses. Plant in late autumn and your garlic should be ready in summer.
4. Cherry tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes can be prolific – look for varieties like ‘Sungold’, Gala recommends. Grow the plant in a deep container, but you will need to plant them out in soil which is rich in organic matter.
If you’re growing them from seed, sow them indoors in spring.You can take a shortcut by buying tomato plants in nurseries and garden centres in late spring, but make sure you don’t plant them outside until all danger of frost has passed, so it may be the end of May or June, depending where you live. “I like to plant my tomatoes very deep in the ground, so when you dig your planting hole, make sure it’s quite large. Bury at least a third of your seedling (small plant) under the soil.Take off the lower leaves and bury it into the soil.The stems are a bit hairy – they can send out roots from those hairy bits. Burying it deep will help it create a strong root system.”
‘Determinate’ (bush) types require little or no staking, while ‘indeterminate’ (cordon) varieties grow tall (up to 1.8m) and will need staking with canes or other supports.
Bush types are shorter and wider, great for smaller gardens, pots and growing bags.They don’t need pinching out but stems may need a small stake at an early stage to prevent wind damage, she adds, and when they are laden with fruits.
Good bush varieties include ‘Red Alert’ and ‘Tumbling Tom’.
5. Courgette
“Courgettes are extremely prolific and for a family of four you won’t need more than one plant,” she says.As well as using the main vegetable you can fry the courgette flowers and stuff them with ricotta or other cheese.
Again, you’re best off sowing it inside and don’t plant it out until all danger of frost has passed. One courgette plant will grow happily in a large pot.
Vegetable Gardening Made Easy by Resh Gala is published by Cool Springs Press, priced £18.99.Available now.
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