Guest post by Debbie Woodliffe

Wintertime in the garden is all about prep and planning for the year ahead – do you want to revamp a border or explore different plant varieties? Now is the time to get started, especially if you’re thinking of growing your lettuce, cucumber plants and other fruits or vegetables in the months ahead.

In this how-to guide, we’re going to cover:

What is a kitchen garden?
How to plan your kitchen garden
How to grow carrots from seed and other crops
Compost, layouts and other top tips to get things sprouting
Your kitchen garden calendar

From vegetable grow bags to grow your own herb kits, we’re going to help you get the most from your very own kitchen garden…

What is a kitchen garden?

A kitchen garden is essentially a small vegetable, fruit and herb garden located near your kitchen. It's ideal for growing things like mint, bell peppers and other crops you’d like to try in your regular cooking repertoire. It’s less about big harvests and more about experiencing new plants fresh from the garden as you need them.

How to plan your kitchen garden

The best time to get started on your kitchen garden is before the outdoor growing season when you have time to prep and get it all ready to plant. In the UK, this would be in January or early February when the temperatures are too cold for outdoor sowing.

First up, decide where and how big you want your kitchen garden to be. Generally, it should be as close to your kitchen as possible to make your fresh veg collection quicker. You should also consider if you want to go big with raised beds. or go smaller in containers that can be moved.
Next, consider the light. Your crops will need plenty of sunshine to grow, preferably in the morning when the temperatures are cooler and for at least 6 hours. Don’t worry if you have a shadier space though, there are plenty that thrive in darker conditions.
Shelter them. Small and tender seedlings will need some protection from the wind and overwatering from the rain, so position it near a hedge or wall to limit the damage.

How to grow carrots from seed and other crops

The idea of a kitchen garden is to have a small amount of your favourite fruits, vegetables, and herbs ready when you need them. So think about what you eat regularly, how often you need a specific herb, and what can be expensive or cost-effective to buy. When you have a good selection, make yourself a Kitchen Garden Calendar showing when things need to be sown. We’ve written up a basic one to get you started, with some classic kitchen garden crops further down the page. After that, you’ll need to make a list of what kinds of soil and compost all your plants need and prepare all the pots, beds, and space they’ll require to thrive. In doing this, you may find you don’t have the room or there are too many different compost types and soils you need. If that’s the case, it may be a good idea to narrow down to an easier selection for your first kitchen garden foray. But don’t dilly-dally with your decision: as soon as the weather gets warm enough, it’s time for the fun part – planting up.

Compost, layouts and other top tips to get things sprouting

Spending hours choosing soil improvers, cultivating crops, and caring for your seedlings only for them to not fruit or fail to flourish is disheartening. But you shouldn’t let it worry you. There are things you can do to encourage a good yield and happy plants. Here are our six top tips:

Start some seedlings off early in a propagator to give them a head start in the colder months.
Growing from seed is the most cost-effective option for many crops and ensures that they have a stable environment from the start.
Using grow your own herb kits will save you money, since these herbs are typically expensive to buy fresh from shops on a regular basis.
Choose high-yield crops that need little room. Vertical climbers like tomatoes need a fair bit of care but produce plenty of fruit. Beans are good for this too. Others like radishes, lettuces and courgettes also need little room and reproduce well.
Make sure to prep your soil. Heavy clay soils are not optimal for rooting, so add plenty of organic material and drainage. Light soils aren’t great either as they can drain too quickly. You want soil that is loose but holds water well.
Make regular sowings every couple of weeks for a continuous supply.

Your Kitchen Garden calendar

Here is a selection of activities and plants you can sow in your kitchen garden year-round (please note, this calendar is tailored to growers in the UK; you’ll need to adjust as needed according to the weather conditions in your area):

January: Prep the kitchen garden area and purchase your soil and compost.

February: Begin sowing seeds under covers such as peas and carrots; you can also chit potatoes (i.e. encourage them to sprout before planting). Do all this in propagators, indoors, or under cloches outside.

March: Sow your herb seeds indoors and your onion sets, potatoes and other crops outside. Protect your seedlings from slugs.

April: Transplant your herbs outside and continue sowing where needed. Begin weed control.

May: Check your potatoes and ‘earth up’ if they’re ready. Sow pumpkins and squashes and plant our tender vegetables.

June: Regularly water if weather is warm. Harvest early potatoes, salad greens and radishes

July: Regularly water if weather is warm. Harvest courgettes and other fruits.

August: Regularly water your crops, especially in containers. Harvest vegetables as they become ready.

September: Continue watering as needed. Harvest vegetables as they become ready and dig up remaining potatoes. Protect leafy vegetables from birds and pests.

October: Complete harvesting of above-ground flowering plants. Clear out any plants that have finished fruiting.

November: Raise containers off the ground to prevent waterlogging, or move into a greenhouse or sheltered area. Plant garlic cloves and broad beans if desired.

December: Harvest any remaining root crops like cabbage or sprouts. Begin winter clearing and ensure winter protections are all in place.

A kitchen garden is ideal if you like your herbs, vegetables, and fruits fresh and in regular supply. Now is the perfect time to start, so start planning, choose your crops or grow your own herb kits and your compost, then get going.

Debbie Woodliffe is a copywriter at Affinity, a marketing services company located in the UK.

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