Grow your own: how to get started

It's best to start small. Many new gardeners get excited at the beginning of the season, plant more than they need and end up wasting food and feeling overwhelmed by their plot. It doesn't matter if you have a few flowerpots or a huge vegetable patch, the principles of growing vegetables remain the same.

At this time of year there could still be the odd frost so knowing which seeds to plant outside, and which to keep under cover, will save you time and possible disappointment.

Prepare your soil
If you've not grown vegetables before, it's worth finding out the quality and type of your soil before you start digging.
■ Check drainage: Soak the soil with a bucket of water, then wait a day before squeezing a handful. If water streams out, you'll need to add compost or organic matter to improve drainage.
■ Identify soil type: If the ball of soil in your hand falls apart easily, it's sandy; if it doesn't collapse, you've got a high clay content. Either way, adding more organic matter will help. If it crumbles gently like cake, it's just right!
■ Acid or alkaline? Invest in a simple soil testing kit (see below) and find the pH level of your soil. If a plant is put into the wrong kind of soil it will be lacking in nutrients, which will promote disease. Generally the
best pH range is approximately 6 or 7 as that contains the most nutrients. To alter the pH, you'll need lime powder to make the soil
more alkaline, or sulphur powder to make it more acidic. Find both at your garden centre.

Essential tools
■ Soil testing kit: Helps you find out what type of soil you have and how you can make the most of it. They cost just a few pounds from any good garden centre.
■ Paper potter: Turn your Sunday papers into seed pots with this ingenious device. Best of all, the whole pot can be planted as the paper will simply biodegrade. £9.99, www.nigelsecostore.com.
■ Plastic cloche: Ideal for hardening off seedlings on the patio and protecting vulnerable plants, it folds flat for easy storage. £19.99, www.mygreenerhome.co.uk.
■ Watering can: The five-litre Haws is rust proof and comes in gorgeous colours. £39.99, www.harrodhorticultural.com.
■ Garland Electric Propagator: Providing constant gentle heat to your seedlings, whatever the weather, this seven-pot model is designed to sit on a windowsill to save space. £33.95, suttons.co.uk.

Good growers
Beetroot Sow very thinly in rows 2cm deep and 24cm apart to avoid having to thin out later.
Broad beans Their roots develop better in cool, wet conditions, so get
these in as soon as possible. Sow in double rows 16cm apart.
Brussels sprouts and cabbages Sow towards the end of April directly into the ground, 1cm deep.
Carrots Sow very thinly 1cm deep and allow 24cm between rows. Once they start to sprout, cover with a horticultural fleece to avoid carrot fly.
Onions These are grown from sets (mini onions) and you should have a bumper crop by the autumn with little fuss. Space 15cm apart, make a small hole (don't push the onion into the ground) and back-fill with soil.
Swiss chard Sow in clusters 60cm apart for year-round greens. This is one of the easiest and tastiest vegetables that you can grow.

Don't wait, cheat!
You can buy established seedlings from your local garden centre. If you're short on space, try the Patio Container Garden, £36.99, from Rocket Gardens (www.rocketgardens.co.uk). It contains 137 baby plants, including tomatoes, French beans, courgettes and strawberries.

Planting outside
Sowing seeds directly into the ground is the least time-consuming way to grow. It's easy to tell when the time is right, as weeds will be sprouting in force! Generally this is between late April and early May, depending on where you live and how cold the spring has been. According to Martin Harvey, Managing Director of Marshall Seeds, ‘Some seeds, such as parsnips and leeks, and garlic cloves, need a cold period to induce germination, so these should be sown in the autumn/winter.'