How to grow

Six stages, one season

Every plant guide leans on the same handful of techniques. Learn them once, in the order the season asks for them, and each new plant is mostly a matter of timing.

01

Start

Plan the space and the year, and get seeds going.

• Growing in a Small Space A balcony grows more than people expect, as long as the pots are big enough.
• Planning a Growing Year Sow less, more often. A whole packet in March gives you forty lettuces in one week and none in August.
• Sowing Direct Outdoors Some crops resent being moved. For those, sowing where they will grow beats any amount of care under cover.
• Starting Seeds Indoors Sowing under cover buys six to eight weeks on the season, and costs almost nothing to get right.

02

Soil

Most growing problems start underground. Fix the soil first.

• Making and Using Compost The cheapest soil improvement there is, made from what you were going to throw away.
• Understanding Your Soil Almost every persistent growing problem is a soil problem wearing a disguise.

03

Water

Deep and less often beats a little every day.

• Watering Well How you water matters more than how much: deep and less often beats a daily splash, every time.

04

Feeding

Less than the packet says, at the right moment.

• Feeding Plants Most plants in decent soil need less feeding than the packaging suggests. Knowing which need more is the useful part.

05

Plant management

Supports, pruning and keeping pests in check.

• Dealing With Slugs and Snails The most reliable method is a torch after dark. Everything else is a supporting act.
• Supporting and Pruning Put the support in at planting. Driving a stake in later goes straight through the roots.

06

Harvest and aftercare

Pick at the right moment, and keep what you grow.

• Harvesting at the Right Time Picking often is what keeps more coming. On most crops, leaving one to ripen fully stops the next.
• Storing What You Grow Store only what is sound. One damaged item spoils everything it touches.