Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Aug 04, 2025

Modern vegetable garden ideas: what to grow and when

Modern vegetable garden ideas: what to grow and when

Starting a modern vegetable garden in containers or raised beds? Here are the 10 things you need to grow

There are some good reasons to start a modern vegetable garden. Homegrown tastes better and is good for your wellbeing. It brings a sense of calm from planting and picking your own fresh produce and it’s the healthier option too, as you can grow things organically. And whether you want salad leaves with extra crunch, flavour packed tomatoes or fresh chillies to add a kick to your cooking, growing your own is easier than you think.

If space is tight, the trick is to grow small amounts of different crops that offer big rewards. Avoid anything high maintenance and instead opt for easy produce such as cut and come again salad leaves, chillies, dwarf varieties of French beans, leafy greens and compact tomatoes. However small your space you can squeeze in pots that will keep you going for months. Read on for our round-up of 10 of the best vegetables to get started on.

1 Perpetual spinach


If you have a small growing space and life is busy this is the crop for you. Try ‘Popeye’ or ‘Medania’, and eat the leaves raw for a hit of vitamins and minerals. Expect to harvest seven to eight weeks after sowing. Pick smaller leaves for the salad bowl and just remember to keep on harvesting and your plants will keep on giving. The perfect cut and come again crop, this will be prolific throughout summer and autumn and into the following year giving you a steady supply year round.



2 Dwarf French beans

A simple crop to grow that doesn’t take up much space, you’ll get dwarf beans right through summer until October. Try a cut and come again variety such as ‘Speedy’ and the plant will keep on replenishing. Available in dark purple and yellow varieties as well as green, dwarf French beans love a container and grow to a dinky 40-60cm in height. They don’t need a bamboo wigwam either as they’re self-supporting. Even better they’re stringless so less prep for you in the kitchen.



3 Tomatoes


Choose a reliable variety such as ribbed ‘Costoluto Fiorentino’, a medium-sized, Italian tomato that grows well here in a sheltered south facing spot and looks good too. Sow indoors in March, then transfer to larger pots on a well-lit windowsill, gradually acclimatising them to outdoor conditions before planting out in early summer. If space is limited choose a compact variety of cherry tomatoes such as Tumbling Tom Red’ or ‘Balconi Red that will cascade out of a window box.



4 Spring onions


The ultimate small space crop, a couple of sowings are all you need as the homegrown varieties tend to have more of a kick so you tend to use less. Easy to grow and low maintenance too, they won’t mind if you forget to water them. They’re fast growing so as soon as they’re pencil sized you can start harvesting them for salads, usually in around eight weeks. Remember to keep sowing them regularly for a constant supply. Choose ‘White Lisbon’ or red stemmed ‘Apache’.



5 Pak choi

Quick and easy to grow in even the smallest of spaces, pak choi will thrive in a container if you don’t have space for a full-on vegetable plot. Either plant seeds or buy young plants from a nursery. It can be grown as a cut and come again crop, or left to develop into a mature plant. The young tender leaves work well in salads – look out for the yellow and red leaved varieties. They also work well in stir fries and steamed. The leaves should be perky, and the stalks plump and firm to the touch.



6 Kohlrabi


In shades of jade green and dusky purple, kohlrabi makes a stunning addition to the garden. Speedy, easy to grow and versatile, it should be top of your list as the sweet, nutty taste is delicious and it’s the star of the summer salad bowl. It prefers a sunny spot and is a quick grower which makes it suitable for sowing every three to four weeks to keep a regular supply coming from late spring right through to autumn. You can start to harvest the bulbs as soon as they become golf-ball sized.



7 Garlic


If you’re short on space garlic is ideal for growing in containers. So simple to grow, all you need do is push cloves into a pot of soil. Once planted it requires very little attention. For best results buy garlic ‘sets’. To prepare garlic for storage hang the bulbs, together with their foliage, in bundles. After a few weeks trim the stalks and roots, and rub off the outer layer around the bulb. Store in a dry well-ventilated place and you’ll have a lovely supply of fresh garlic for months to come.



8 Mizuna


The spicy Japanese leafy green mizuna has serrated green or purple leaves that intensify in colour as they near harvesting. The mild-flavoured leaves taste a little mustardy. It’s a ‘cut and come again’ salad, and a good choice if you want to grow fresh leaves in winter. “It’s one of my favourites for spring, autumn and winter salads,” says Sarah Raven. “I grow it almost all year round.” Sow in spring then again in August to October and you will get two to three months’ worth of leaves.



9 Fennel


Give it some sun to bask in and fennel is rampant. The feathery foliage and spectacular yellow flowers make a pretty addition to the garden, and the stalks and bulbs taste really good too. “I love it,” says Monty Don, “both to eat but especially to look at. I grow it for its foliage and given good soil, it makes a handsome plant.” It’s easy to grow from seed straight into the soil outside from June to August. Eat within 24 hours of picking once the bulbs have reached the size of a tennis ball.



10 Chillies


Grow a few chillies in a sunny window box and each plant will produce a dozen or so fruits. Hungarian Hot Wax is one of the most prolific chillies, producing for three to four months of the year. Sow the seeds indoors in March and pot up when they are around 10cm tall and the first flowers appear. They need full sun and a sheltered spot so transfer them outside only when it’s warm enough. “Stuff with cream cheese, thyme and pine nuts then griddle and serve with a glass of wine,” says Sarah Raven.



How should I arrange my vegetable garden?


Plan carefully, thinking about your favourites. Then factor in how much time you want to lavish on your plants. You may want to rule out any high maintenance choices. Make a list of the vegetables you would like to grow then factor in the size of your garden. If space is tight remember that most vegetables grow well in containers. Once you’ve decided what you want to grow it’s time to work out how to fit it into your space. Now for the technical part: there are three groups of vegetable types: legumes (such as beans and peas), brassicas (kohlrabi, mizuna, cabbages), and roots (chard, spinach, garlic), and the rule is that no member of any group should follow another in the same group on the same piece of ground. But you don’t need to worry about this if you’re opting for pots.

What vegetables go well together in a garden?


Look at companion planting charts that show which vegetables are happy to be planted alongside each other. The groupings are based on complementary characteristics such as growth habits and nutrient requirements. Tomatoes, for example, like being planted with peppers, spinach and onions, while beans prefer being near peas and chard.

What are the best vegetables to plant right now?


Just because the weather is turning cooler doesn’t mean you can’t grow your own. Opt for leafy greens, as some can still be sown in time for winter cropping. Choose leafy varieties of vegetable such as chard, perpetual spinach, oriental greens such as mizuna, and salad leaves like lambs lettuce. Sow under cover to speed up the process and give them a head start, then plant out. Remember to keep picking the leaves to keep them coming.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Pilots Call for Mental Health Support Without Stigma
All Five Trapped Miners Found Dead After El Teniente Mine Collapse
Ong Beng Seng Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case Linked to Former Singapore Transport Minister
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
Italy Fines Shein One Million Euros for Misleading Sustainability Claims
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
Declassified Annex Links Soros‑Affiliated Officials and Clinton Campaign to ‘Russiagate’ Narrative
UK's Online Safety Law: A Front for Censorship
Nationwide Protests Erupt in Brazil Demanding Presidential Resignation
Parents Abandon Child at Barcelona Airport Over Passport Issue
Mystery Surrounds Death of Brazilian Woman with iPhones Glued to Her Body
Bus Driver Discovers Toddler Hidden in Suitcase in New Zealand
Switzerland Celebrates 734 Years of Independence Amid Global Changes
U.S. Opens Official Investigation into Former Trump Prosecutor Jack Smith
Leaked audio of Canada's new PM Mark Carney admitting the truth about the Net Zero agenda: "We're gonna make a lot of money off of this."
China Enforces Comprehensive Ban on Cryptocurrency Activities
Absolutely 100% Realistic EVO Series Doll by EXDOLL (Chinese Company) used mainly for carnal purposes
World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab: "In this new world, we must accept... total transparency. You have to get used to it. You have to behave accordingly. But if you have nothing to hide, you shouldn't be afraid."
Meet Mufti Hamid Patel, head of Office for Standards in Education in Pakistan
George Soros tells the World Economic Forum: "President Trump is a con man and the ultimate narcissist, who wants the world to revolve around him."
Hamas are STARVING the hostages.
Decline in Tourism in Majorca Amidst Ongoing Anti-Tourism Protests
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
Poland Begins Excavation at Dziemiany After New Clue to World War II‑Era Nazi Treasure
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Threatens Canada with Tariffs Over Palestinian State Recognition
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Trump Sues Murdoch in “Heavyweight Bout”: Lawsuit Over Alleged Epstein Letter Sets Stage for Courtroom Showdown
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
J.K. Rowling Limits Public Engagements Citing Safety Fears
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
×