How many times have you heard somebody say " I would love to grow vegetables, but I just don't have room"?

They seem to think that you need acres of ground, or at least an area the size of an allotment to grow vegetables, but this is not so.

A small backyard or even containers can be used to grow crops, its surprising how small a space can be utilised. They can even be grown in amongst you flowers and plants, this can even be more beneficial for them as they are rarely attacked by pests when grown like this.

Most seed companies now sell 'mini' or 'high density' vegetable seeds. These are specially bred or chosen varieties that can either be picked while still young (some carrots) or can be grown closer together than the normal full size varieties.

A small 'Primero' variety cabbage may not look as impressive as a full size show cabbage but it will certainly taste a lot better and will provide a meal for 2 - 3 people, which after all, is what you are growing it for in the first place, not to put on a show bench.

Most of the 'mini' vegetables have a far better taste and are certainly more tender than their full size counterparts and can often exceed the total yield of the full size vegetables.

Try growing a few of the varieties below:

Vegetable	Variety	Supplier/s
Beetroot	Pronto	Mr. Fothergill's / Suttons / D.T. Brown	Sow the seed 1" apart. No need to thin out. Start to harvest when 1" in diameter by picking every other one, let the rest grow on to golf ball size(2")
	Tardel	King's
	Monaco	Dobies
	Action	Marshalls
Borecole (Kale)	Showbor	Dobies / Suttons	These will crop over a long period and are winter hardy so will provide a crop over the winter months.
	Starbor	Mr. Fothergill's
Calabrese	Roxette F1	Mr. Fothergill's	Start in a pot, transplant into cells and plant out 6" apart.
Carrot	Amini	Mr. Fothergill's / Suttons	Carrots are excellent for mini crops. Sow the seed thinly, no need to thin as they are best picked small as 'baby' carrots.
	Pariska	Mr. Fothergill's
	Ideal	Dobies
	Suko	Thompson & Morgan
Cauliflower	Candid Charm F1	Mr. Fothergill's	Sow in pots, pick out into cells and transplant to final positions 6" apart.
	Idol	Suttons
	Candid Charm	Thompson & Morgan
Courgette	Ambassador F1	Mr. Fothergill's	Note: It is the fruit that is small on this plant. The plant itself is quite large (2-3 ft spread) but worth growing if you have the space.
Florence Fennel	Zefa Tardo	D.T. Brown	Ideal sown in a border, the foliage is about 4ft high.
Kohl Rabi	Kongo F1	Mr. Fothergill's	This swollen root taste like a mild cabbage. Grow the same way.
	Logo	D.T. Brown
Leek	Jolant	Mr. Fothergill's	Another crop ideal for mini veg. Treat as full size but space them 4" apart.
	King Richard	D.T. Brown
Lettuce	Mini Green	Mr. Fothergill's	These small lettuce can be planted out 4- 6 inches apart. (As an alternative try some of the cut-and-come-again lettuce)
	Blush (red)	Most suppliers
	Salad Bowl	Most suppliers
Onion	Vera Prima	Mr. Fothergill's	Start the seed in cells and plant out in clumps rather than individually.
	Shakespeare	Mr. Fothergill's
	Pompeii	D.T. Brown
Parsnip	Lancer	D.T. Brown	Sow seeds 2" apart with 6" between the rows.
	Arrow	Mr. Fothergill's
Spinach	Samish F1	Mr. Fothergill's	Grow in small clumps and if you pick the leaves while young, you can usually get a second cropping from the same plant.
	Tetono F1	D.T. Brown
Sweetcorn	Minipop F1	Mr. Fothergill's	The plants are usually about 3-4 ft tall, it is the cobs that are picked while they are infertile (as baby sweetcorn). Ideal for stir fries and curries.
Turnip	Market Express F1	Mr. Fothergill's	Sow seeds about 1" apart and pick when the size of a golf ball. This a fairly quick growing crop, so sow every few weeks to keep a supply going.
	Atlantic	D.T. Brown

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Last updated 5 March, 2002
© copyright 1999, P. A. Owen