SowHow

By Paul Matson and Anna Lucy Scott

When you’re growing veg for the first time it can be hard to know where to start and even more difficult to find inspiring advice that isn’t completely incomprehensible… Enter SowHow – the innovative grow guide for the modern gardener. With its fresh, bright design and clear-cut know-how, this clever little book provides all the expert advice and encouragement you need to get growing.

You’ll find entries on 30 easy-grow vegetables to sow throughout the seasons, from kale to runner beans and carrots to cucamelons, plus ideas for herbs, edible flowers and advice on cultivating your own cocktail garden. SowHow breaks down the key steps of sowing, planting and harvesting each featured vegetable into understandable bite-sized chunks using straightforward language and smart infographics. Plus, the essential start-up advice covering everything from top tools and cunning crop rotations, to uncomplicated compost and the lowdown on mulches, will make you a pro in no time.

Complete with simple cooking suggestions, shrewd storage info and creative gardening hacks, this unique, comprehensive companion will transform your grow space into a hot bed for leeks, beets and all your other veggie friends. So whether you are looking to fill a garden, an allotment, or a patio pot, get going and grow with SowHow.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK
• Release date: Mar 16, 2017
• ISBN: 9781911595182

Book preview

Things to know

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Once you have decided where to pitch your plot, the next step is to consider how to create a nurturing environment. Working with the soil, the light and the whims of the sky is part and parcel of cultivating healthy, happy plants. And here, we show you how.

Light and shade

Plants rely on sunlight to provide the energy they need for growth. Leaves, which function like solar panels, are expert at enabling the process of photosynthesis to take place. But there are ways that gardeners can help, too.

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RIGHT PLANT, RIGHT PLACE: South-facing gardens are ideal as they capture more daylight. But if buildings or trees heavily shade your garden, planting in hanging baskets or on rooftops that are out of the shade, could be an alternative.

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LIGHT AND MIRRORS: Paint walls and fences white or in a light shade, or use mirrors to reflect light back onto plants. You could line shelves of a mini greenhouse with foil. Make sure you keep windows of greenhouses clean so they let in as much sunlight as possible.

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SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS: If your plant is light-deprived, seedlings’ stems will grow very spindly as they stretch to find the sun. While light is very important for plants, they shouldn’t get too hot – you may need to shade your crops if they show signs of wilting, or move them to a cooler spot.

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LIGHT BOOST: Grow lamps can be used where there is no naturally occurring light or in other situations. They can be useful for indoor-grown plants. Seeds need cool white fluorescent lamps, which provide blue light. Flowering plants need broad-spectrum fluorescent lamps to promote fruit and flower production.

How much sun is enough?

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FULL SUN

6+ hours

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Brussels sprouts

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Courgettes/Zucchini

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Cucumbers

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Garlic

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Peppers

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Pumpkins

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Strawberries

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Sweetcorn/Corn

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Tomatoes

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PARTIAL SUN

4–5 hours

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Beetroot/Beet

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Beans

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Sprouting broccoli

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Carrots

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Chard

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Leeks

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Parsnips

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Peas

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Potatoes

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Radishes

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SHADE

3–4 hours

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Salad leaves

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Spinach

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Lettuce

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Kale

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Herbs

A handy rule to keep in mind is that leafy vegetables tolerate low light levels (partial shade), root veg and legumes are fine in medium levels (half a day of sunshine) and fruit requires the most light (full sun).

Working with weather

It’s little wonder that gardeners get obsessed with weather forecasts. Plants need sun, rain and wind, but extremes can cause irreversible crop damage. While there’s nothing you can do to change the weather, you can protect your plants.