A great way of spending time outdoors is to start a vegetable garden.
The two main benefits is producing your own home grown food and keeping fit while doing it.
You don’t have to have a big garden, any small patch of land will do. In fact you can grow a herb garden on a window sill in a flat, alternatively you could rent an allotment or garden share with a friend where you share the work and the produce.
We will keep you up to date with a step by step / month by month guide on what needs to be done in the veg patch.
There will also be monthly information in the Sharpeze diary.
The forum is also there for asking and answering questions on growing your own produce.
Sit back and watch the Sharpeze digital veg patch grow.
We will bring you all of the latest tips and advise on growing your own fruit, vegetables and herbs.
It’s time to get down and dirty!
Artichoke, globe:
Seed sowing time ( greenhouse) : Early April
Plant outside: End April
Distance between plants: 36 Inches
Soil preference: Light / loamy in sunny sheltered location
Harvest: July- August-September
Ease of cultivation: Difficult
Artichoke, Jerusalem:
Plant outside: February- March
Distance between plants: 18 Inches
Soil preference: Any type
Harvest: November-December-January
Ease of cultivation: Easy
Asparagus:
Seed sowing time ( greenhouse) : April
Plant outside: End April
Distance between plants: 12 Inches
Soil preference: Good drainage and sunny sheltered location
Harvest: April-May following year
Ease of cultivation: Difficult
Aubergine:
Seed sowing time ( greenhouse) : March
Plant outside: May (or in greenhouse from April)
Distance between plants: 24 Inches
Soil preference: Well drained in sunny sheltered location
Harvest: August-September
Ease of cultivation: Difficult
Beans, broad:
Seed sowing time ( outside) : March- April
Distance between plants: 8 Inches
Soil preference: Rich well drained soil
Harvest: July- August
Ease of cultivation: Easy
Beans, French:
Seed sowing time ( outdoors ) : May- June
Distance between plants: 4 Inches
Soil preference: Any soil
Harvest: July- August-September-October
Ease of cultivation: Easy
Beans, Runner:
Seed sowing time ( outside) : May- June
Distance between plants: 9 inches
Soil preference: Well drained soil
Harvest: July- August-September-October
Ease of cultivation: Medium
Beet, Leaf:
Seed sowing time ( outdoors ) : April
Distance between plants: 4 Inches
Soil preference: Rich and well-manured
Harvest: From August
Ease of cultivation: Easy
Beetroot:
Seed sowing time ( outside) : April-May-June
Distance between plants: 4 Inches
Soil preference: Deeply dug sandy soil
Harvest: July- August-September
Ease of cultivation: Easy
Broccoli:
Seed sowing time ( greenhouse) : April-May
Plant outside: June-July
Distance between plants: 6 Inches
Soil preference: Firm soil rich in organic matter
Harvest: February-March-April
Ease of cultivation: Medium
Brussels Sprouts:
Seed sowing time ( greenhouse) : March- April
Plant outside: May-June
Distance between plants: 6 Inches
Soil preference: Firm soil rich in organic matter
Harvest: From October to February
Ease of cultivation: Easy
Cabbage, Spring:
Seed sowing time ( greenhouse) : July-August
Plant outside: September-October
Distance between plants: 6 Inches
Soil preference: Well consolidated soil
Harvest: April May
Ease of cultivation: Easy
Cabbage, Summer:
Seed sowing time ( greenhouse) : April
Plant outside: May-June
Distance between plants: 6 Inches
Soil preference: Well consolidated soil
Harvest: August-September
Ease of cultivation: Easy
Cabbage, Winter:
Seed sowing time ( greenhouse) : April-May
Plant outside: July
Distance between plants: 6 Inches
Soil preference: Well consolidated soil
Harvest: November-December-January
Ease of cultivation: Easy
Cabbage, Savoy:
Seed sowing time ( greenhouse) : April-May
Plant outside: July
Distance between plants: 6 Inches
Soil preference: Well consolidated soil
Harvest: November-December-January
Ease of cultivation: Easy
Cabbage, Red:
Seed sowing time ( greenhouse) : April
Plant outside: May-June
Distance between plants: 6 Inches
Soil preference: Well consolidated soil
Harvest: September-October
Ease of cultivation: Easy
Cabbage, Chinese:
Seed sowing time ( outside) : July-august
Distance between plants: 6 Inches
Soil preference: Well consolidated soil
Harvest: October
Ease of cultivation: Easy
Capsicum ( Red & Green Peppers) :
Seed sowing time ( greenhouse) : February-March
Distance between plants: 18 Inches
Soil preference: Well drained soil
Harvest: August-September
Ease of cultivation: Medium
Carrots:
Seed sowing time (outside) : April-May-June
Distance between plants: 3 Inches
Soil preference: Well dug sandy soil
Harvest: July to October
Ease of cultivation: Easy
Cauliflower:
Seed sowing time ( greenhouse) : April-May
Plant outside: June-July
Distance between plants: 6 Inches
Soil preference: Well consolidated soil
Harvest: March to November depending on winter or summer varieties
Ease of cultivation: Medium
Celeriac:
Seed sowing time ( greenhouse) : March
Plant outside: May-June
Distance between plants: 12 Inches
Soil preference: fertile moisture/ retentive soil
Harvest: October-November
Ease of cultivation: Difficult
Celery:
Seed sowing time ( greenhouse) : March-April
Plant outside: May-June
Distance between plants: 9 Inches
Soil preference: well prepared soil with plenty of organic matter
Harvest: October to February
Ease of cultivation: Difficult
Chicory:
Seed sowing time ( outside ) : June-July
Distance between plants: 4 Inches
Soil preference: Any types
Harvest: October-November-December
Ease of cultivation: Easy
Courgette:
Seed sowing time ( outside) : May-June
Plant outside: June
Distance between plants: 36 Inches
Soil preference: Any soil with organic matter in a sunny location
Harvest: July to October
Ease of cultivation: Easy
Cucumber, indoors :
Seed sowing time ( greenhouse) : March-April
Distance between plants: 18 Inches
Soil preference: Compost
Harvest: July to September
Ease of cultivation: Medium
Cucumber outdoors:
Seed sowing time ( outside ) : May-June
Distance between plants: 18 Inches
Soil preference: Well drained sunny sheltered location
Harvest: August- September
Ease of cultivation: Difficult
Kale:
Seed sowing time ( greenhouse) : May
Plant outside: July
Distance between plants: 6 Inches
Soil preference: Well consolidated soil
Harvest: December to March
Ease of cultivation: Easy
Leek:
Seed sowing time ( greenhouse) : March-April
Plant outside: June-July
Distance between plants: 4 Inches
Soil preference: Any soil
Harvest: November to April
Ease of cultivation: Easy
Lettuces:
Seed sowing time ( outside) : April-May-June
Distance between plants: 12 Inches
Soil preference: Any soil with a bit of organic matter
Harvest: June to September
Ease of cultivation: Easy
Marrow:
Seed sowing time ( outside) : May-June
Plant outside: June
Distance between plants: 36 Inches
Soil preference: Any soil with organic matter in a sunny location
Harvest: July to October
Ease of cultivation: Easy
Onion & Shallot (from sets):
Plant outside: March-April
Distance between plants: 4 Inches
Soil preference: Well drained good soil
Harvest: august
Ease of cultivation: Easy
Onion (from seed) :
Seed sowing time ( outside) : March
Distance between plants: 4 Inches
Soil preference: Well drained good soil
Harvest: July to September
Ease of cultivation: Easy
Parsnip:
Seed sowing time ( outside) : March
Distance between plants: 6 Inches
Soil preference: Deeply dug with plenty of organic matter
Harvest: November to February
Ease of cultivation: Easy
Pea:
Seed sowing time ( outside) : From April to July
Distance between plants: 3 Inches
Soil preference: Good quality soil
Harvest: From June to September
Ease of cultivation: Medium
Potato:
Plant outside: April
Distance between plants: 12 Inches
Soil preference: Any soil
Harvest: July to October
Ease of cultivation: Easy
Radish:
Seed sowing time ( outside) : March to May
Distance between plants: 2 Inches
Soil preference: Fertile and well drained
Harvest: June to August
Ease of cultivation: Easy
Rhubarb:
Plant outside: February-March
Distance between plants: 36 Inches
Soil preference: Any soil
Harvest: April to July ( year later)
Ease of cultivation: Easy
Spinach:
Seed sowing time ( outside) : March to September
Distance between plants: 2 Inches
Soil preference: Any soil with organic matter
Harvest: All year
Ease of cultivation: Medium
Swede:
Seed sowing time ( outside) : May-June
Distance between plants: 10 Inches
Soil preference: Firm well drained soil
Harvest: November to February
Ease of cultivation: Easy
Sweet Corn:
Seed sowing time ( outside) : May-June
Distance between plants: 18 Inches
Soil preference: Well drained with organic matter
Harvest: August-September
Ease of cultivation: Medium
Tomato (inside):
Seed sowing time ( inside) : February- March
Distance between plants: 24 Inches
Soil preference: Compost
Harvest: July to October
Ease of cultivation: Medium
Tomato (outdoors):
Seed sowing time ( outside) : May
Distance between plants: 24 Inches
Soil preference: Any soil with organic matter in a sunny location
Harvest: August- September
Ease of cultivation: Difficult
Turnip:
Seed sowing time ( outside) : March-April
Distance between plants: 6 Inches
Soil preference: Firm well drained
Harvest: November- December
Ease of cultivation: Easy