Many people in the UK think that they need a heated greenhouse to grow fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables can be grown in any British garden or backyard that you maintain behind your home. There is no requirement for an orchard to grow its own fruit and vegetable. As there are plenty of fruits and vegetables that can grow outside in the UK ‘s temperate climate. So, enjoy a home grown slice of fruits and vegetables and spread that taste to the dining table and kitchen.
In this article, I will focus on top fruits and vegetables that can be easily grown in the UK in garden or backyard.
FRUITS
1. Apricot ‘Tomcot’
Apricots are a self-fertile fruit that do not need partners. Modern bred varieties are capable of producing a fulsome crop in the UK. Search for names that end in ‘cot’ such as ‘Flavorcot’ or ‘Tomcot’. Both of these varieties produce big fruit of orange skin that bloom with pink color.
Early blossom’s susceptibility to frost is their only weakness so a little bit of luck with the weather is also required.
2. Plum ‘Victoria’
This self-fertile variety of plum generate a cracking crop of juicy fruits. This fruit has a pink-red skin with beautiful blue bloom. Mesocarp is of yellow color and very tasty to eat fresh and even better when cooked.
The’Victoria’ variety is commercially grown in the UK because it has won the RHS Award of Garden Merit. Sometimes branches saddle under the load of fruit and may break. To avoid this situation branches are supported by placing them against something.
3. Apple ‘Falstaff’
Generally, apples trees are planted closely for pollination but ‘Falstaff’ variety is a self-fertile cultivator and bears fruit produce on its own.
‘Falstaff’ is an excellent crunchy, delicious and juicy fruit with light cream-colored flesh and an orange/red flushed skin. The flavor is a well-balanced combination of sweetness and acidity. This compact tree is an easy tree to grow and produces heavy cropping.
4. Nashi pear ‘Kumoi’
These trees are widely grown in the UK because these Asian pear have no problems like pear rust disfiguring leaves or pear midge spoiling that conventional pears of the UK can face. The Nashi pear has not only the flavor of a tasty fresh sweet pear but also has the crispy bite taste of an apple. It is an excellent thirst quencher as it is full of juice.
5. Mulberry ‘Chelsea’
Enough room is required for these easily grown historic trees. Mulberries require little pruning and fruit is sublime. Pick mulberry as early as it ripe and eat mulberry immediately. When totally black they are juicy and taste very sweet but have absolutely zero flavors.
When picked just before all the red vanishes they taste like a memory of mulberry, but have a slightly odd rubbery texture and not much in the way of juiciness.
VEGETABLES
1. Lettuce and salad leaves
The advantage of growing our own lettuce and salad is that we can pick exactly how much we need for each meal and leave the rest to grow continuously. Iceberg, Romaine or Round Lettuce are the famous varieties in the UK. You can grow lettuce both indoors and outdoors.
Salad seedlings require plenty of moisture and sunlight. The leaves are ready to harvest in just within a month. Sow the seeds at a distance of 30cm in short rows and sow your lettuce seeds every 4 weeks for a continuous supply.
2. Tomatoes
Tomato seeds require plenty of regular sun, heat, food, water and fertile soil. In the UK, We can grow tomatoes outdoors or indoors depending on the yield amount. Tomato is a super food because it is used in the majority of things from sandwiches to salads to pasta sauces. Mix organic garden compost in soil and scatter seeds thinly in a 8 cm pot. Tomato seeds germinate within two weeks and harvest in about 2 months when they have a nice healthy red color.
3. Onions
All types of onions varying form spring onions to shallots can be grown from seed in the UK. Onions are used in meals to add taste and to add flavor. People can eat onion raw as well as cooked. In the UK, we should plant onions 4 to 6 weeks before the last frost. Onions need not only need light fertile soil with a small amount of nitrogen but also require a sunny part of your garden having good drainage system. Sow your seeds in the month of January or February when temperature ranges from 10 to 15 degree Celsius.
Onions are harvested when the leaves appear yellow and die black.
4. Peas
Peas are very suitable to grow in the UK because they can flourish even in cold weather. Regular picking is very important to get lovely fresh peas. Peas can be planted indoor or outdoor from spring to early summer when the soil is warm and moist in the UK. Peas need sunlight and water retaining and nutrient rich soil in the part of your garden to grow fast.
Peas need watering once in a week and will be harvested 3 months after sowing. Bamboo canes and netting are required to provide support once the peas have reached 2 to 3 inches in height. Cut off the stems of peas at ground level and allow the nitrogen rich roots to decompose into the soil.
5. Carrots
Carrot is an all-around root vegetable because we can eat them raw, steamed, boiled, roasted or as an ingredient in soups and stews and drink carrot juice. Carrots are rich in Vitamin A. Carrots are easy to grow in the fertile soil of your garden and they will generally germinate in about one to three weeks.
In the UK, prepare the soil of your garden in late winter or early spring to sow carrot seeds. Always plant the carrots 1 inch deep in soil on a dry sunny day. The UK carrot is typically orange in color. Carrots are ready to harvest in the month of June/July about 60-80 days after sowing seeds.
Conclusion
Growing your own fruits and vegetables is not only a great way to help the environment but also to save some money. We can switch on organic produce and will not have to depend on supermarkets and shops to get vegetarian intake.
Some points to consider before sowing any type of vegetable and fruit seed in the garden are:-
- Stick to those fruits and vegetables that need low maintenance.Selecting self-fertile fruits and vegetables avoid the problem of finding pollination partners to guarantee a crop.
- Choose the variety wisely to sidestep many of the scarier aspects of cultivation like complicated pruning, pollination groups, tricky pests etc.
- Choose good quality seedlings and soil with plenty of water and sunlight to grow the best quality produce at home.
