The cabbage family (brassicas)

Brassicas prefer a rich soil that contains some lime; use a pH tester and if your soil is acidic add lime before sowing or planting. The leafy, non-rooting brassicas also prefer a firm soil - otherwise they won't produce solid, compact hearts - so lightly compact the soil by walking over it with your weight on your heels before planting out. Or leave several months between digging over and planting out.
With the leafy brassicas you'll get better results if you can set aside an area as a seed bed and then transplant the young plants to their final growing positions.

Introduction video about the cabbage family (brassicas)

Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbages
Cauliflowers
Kale/borecole
Kohl rabi
Swede
Turnip

Leafy vegetables

This includes 'leafy' vegetables not covered elsewhere in the lists.

Chicory, endive and radicchio
Leaf beet/chard
Leeks
Spinach

Peas & beans (legumes)

All legumes need plenty of soil moisture. The best way of achieving this is to dig a trench in autumn and fill it will moisture-holding material such as garden compost, but even shredded newspaper and un-rotted garden waste can be used. Top off the trench with soil a fortnight before sowing or planting out to give the contents time to settle. Water well during dry periods especially when the pods are developing.

Introduction video Peas & beans (legumes)

Broad beans
French beans
Peas
Runner beans

Root vegetables

All root crops like a deep, well-dug, moisture-retentive soil that has had some compost added; manures and other strong soil improvers are best added for a previous crop as they can cause the roots to fork. On heavy soils, stick to stump- or round-rooted varieties as the roots down go down so far. Try to remove as many stones as possible as this can also lead to forking.

Introduction video about Root vegetables

Beetroot
Carrots
Celeriac
Garlic
Onions and shallots
Parsnips
Potatoes

Salads

Summer wouldn't be the same without salads, but it is possible to produce crunchy crisp lettuce and other salad crops over a much longer period if you have a greenhouse or garden frame to help extend the season.

Most salad crops should be successional sown - that is sowing a few seeds every fortnight rather than all in one go to keep the season going and to prevent gluts and famines.

Many can be grown as cut-and-come-again crops, taking a few leaves from the plants on a regular basis and allowing new leaves to grow back.

Introduction video about
Salads

Celery
Lettuce
Radish
Salad leaves - Chinese cabbage, Chinese mustard, corn salad, mizuna, pak choi, rocket
Salad onions

Greenhouse crops

This group of vegetables can be grown outdoors but usually crop better when grown to maturity in a greenhouse, polytunnel or wall frame. They can be planted and grown in the soil but are, more often than not, grown in containers; these can either be 23-25cm (9-10in) pots of good potting compost or growing-bags. When using the latter, extra care must be taken over watering and feeding as the small volume of compost quickly dries out.

In the garden they need a warm, sunny, protected position. The soil should be fertile and well drained, but able to hold adequate moisture as all these crops need a constant water supply.

They are all sown indoors with heat in small pots and hardening off if planting outside.

Aubergine
Cucumber
Peppers - including chillies
Tomatoes

Other crops

Asparagus
Marrow, courgette, squash and pumpkin
Sweet corn

Cultivars

The RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is an excellent way to help you choose cultivars to grow.

View the AGM list (356KB pdf document)

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