Reference sheet
Key ideas so far
- 1Choose the spot with the most direct sun — six hours or more — close to water and away from trees. — Lesson 1: Finding the sunniest spot
- 2Whatever your soil, add organic matter on top: a no-dig bed is cardboard plus 10 to 15 centimetres of compost. — Lesson 2: Soil, compost and a no-dig bed
- 3Hardy crops can go out in cold weather; tender crops wait until after the last frost. — Lesson 3: Easy first crops and when to sow them
Glossary
- Direct sun
- Sunlight falling straight on a plant, not just daylight.
- Drainage
- How quickly water soaks away through the soil after rain.
- Full sun
- A spot that gets at least six hours of direct sun a day in summer.
- Hardy
- Able to survive cold and light frost outdoors.
- Last frost date
- The average date of the last spring frost where you live.
- Loam
- A dark, crumbly soil with a balance of sand, silt and clay; the easiest to grow in.
- No-dig
- Growing by spreading compost on top of the soil instead of digging it over.
- Organic matter
- Rotted plant or animal material, such as compost or manure, that feeds the soil.
- Tender
- Killed or badly damaged by frost, so planted out only after the last frost.
Sun and water at a glance
Fruit, pods and roots (tomatoes, courgettes, beans, carrots): 6–8 hours of direct sun · Leafy crops (lettuce, spinach, rocket): about 4 hours · Seeds and seedlings: keep the soil evenly moist, water through a rose · Growing plants in dry weather: a thorough soaking once or twice a week, at the soil, morning or evening — a full 10-litre can per square metre.
Soil and a no-dig bed
Squeeze test: gritty and falls apart = sandy · sticky and shiny = clay · soft and crumbly = loam · New bed on lawn: mow short, wet cardboard, then 10–15 cm of compost · Bed width: 1.2 m at most · Each autumn: top up with 2–5 cm of compost.
Easy first crops and spacing
Radish: hardy, sow March–September, 1 cm deep, thin to 2–3 cm, ready in 4–6 weeks · Loose-leaf lettuce: hardy, sow March–August, 1 cm deep, thin to 15 cm · Rocket: hardy, sow April–September, 1 cm deep, thin to 15 cm · Garlic: hardy, plant cloves October–November, tips 2–3 cm below the surface, 15 cm apart · Courgette: tender, plant out after the last frost, 90 cm apart. Months are for a temperate northern climate; check your seed packet.