Melissa Leong gets you started on your very own veggie patch.
It may still be oscillating between balmy and brisk from my current seat in indecisive Melbourne, but thankfully Sydney is consistent enough to get going in the garden. Obviously we’re talking edibles, and the best thing is that there’s plenty you can do even if space is at a minimum. From pots to plots, here is a list of easy to grow eats to get in the ground this weekend:
Peas and beans
Sweet green climbing vegetables such as peas and beans are easy to grow in the ground or in pots and can be trained up trellises or railings. Not only are these podded beauties a great addition to the dinner table, but also the leaves, flowers and tendrils make excellent garnish and salad friends (just make sure you leave enough flowers to turn into peas!).
Carrots and radishes
Excellent training wheel vegetables to grow from seed, just plant evenly, thin out seedlings to give each root veg enough room to grow and before you know it, voila. Think root to tip here too – peppery radish leaves are a little like rocket and carrot tops are awesome when charred quickly on the barbeque and dressed with a little lemon, salt and yoghurt.
Tomatoes
If you have a sunny spot on the balcony or in the garden, tomatoes are a super rewarding fruit to watch as they grow. From tiny yellow flowers to plump fruit, just make sure you give them enough structural support as they climb. With plenty of tomato options out there, you can use smaller varieties to spruce up salads and larger ones for cooking up a homemade passata.
Basil and salad leaves
Soft herbs such as basil give fragrance to summer salads and salad leaves like rocket, lettuce and mesclun greens are really easy to grow in a warm sunny place, meaning that a little side salad of green things from the garden is never far from the table. May you and your garden prosper!
