Strapped for space for your
edible crop? Give peas a chance.
The crunchy chaps – which
include classic green shelling
peas, sugar snap peas and snow
pea varieties – grow upwards
rather than outwards, making
them a super-handy option for
balconies and compact gardens.
No matter the size of your pea
crop, though, keep an eye out
for winged creatures hovering
shiftily nearby. Birds are rather
fond of the sweet young
seedlings, and if they’re not
protected with a net, they’ll
fast become a myna’s lunch.
The climate peas dig most is
cool but not frosty – too much
damp can lead to mildew
and an untimely pea demise.
For that reason, try to avoid
wetting their leaves as much as
possible, instead focusing water
on the plant’s dirty bottom.There are a few reasons
tomatoes are popular in
backyard veggie gardens:
they thrive in both patches
and pots; produce more fruit
than you’ll know what to do
with; and taste a jillion times
sweeter when homegrown.
On top of that, the Peruvian
native (whose Aztec name
translates to ‘plump thing with
a navel’) comes in thousands
of different varieties, each
differing slightly in flavour,
yield and colour. What these
tomatoes all have in common,
though, is a preference for
sunny climes – in particularly
sizzly weather, you can
fashion a ‘tomato tent’ from
a shadecloth to avoid scorched
flesh. There’s also a (relatable)
fondness for being horizontal,
which can be offset by trailing
the vines up a trellis or stake.You may have grown up
calling broccoli ‘those little
green trees’, but plant-loving
boffins would tell you it’s a
cruciferous vegetable from
the brassica family – aka
the distant cousin of other
crunchy bits like cauliflower,
kale and Brussels sprouts.
Hailing from Italy (and
supposedly a favourite
snack of the Ancient Romans),
broccoli’s a cool season
veggie, meaning it’s best
planted in the slightly chillier
months. Nevertheless, it digs
a sunny spot away from strong
winds so it can grow its big old
flowering head in peace. Also
worth noting: it’s got a hearty
appetite. Plant your broc in
rich, well-draining soil with
plenty of compost, then give
it some more chow about
once a week.
Mel Blanc, the voice of
Bugs Bunny, famously
turned his nose up at
carrots, but he may have
reconsidered if he’d grown
his own crop. The crunchy
snack – which began as
a purple root vegetable in
the wilds of Afghanistan- is sweet and juicy when
watered regularly and
plucked straight out of the
ground. Speaking of the
ground, you’ll want to give it
some love before sowing your
tiny carrot seeds. Dense soil
and errant rocks can slow
down their growth and cause
the adult plant to bend and
contort in weird ways. Plenty
of sun and deep, loose dirt,
on the other hand, is the
recipe for a happy carrot, so
a raised garden bed makes
an ideal backyard home.
try this at home