A staggering one in eight British households don’t have a garden according to the Office for National Statistics. However, urban micro-gardening is a flourishing trend among the uptake in home improvement projects enabling more people with no or small gardens to enjoy homegrown vegetables. A small vegetable garden could consist of raised beds and containers or window boxes and planters on balconies. What’s important is choosing the right plants for small gardens. Growing companion plants together is a good idea if you’re short of space. For example, having a container dedicated to lettuce, onions and tomatoes.

So what are your options for creating your own small vegetable garden?

Start a vegetable patch

You could pick an area of your small garden to create a vegetable patch. First pick the right spot. It should be sunny with good drainage. Then prime the area for vegetable planting by digging over the soil thoroughly, weeding it well, removing any stones and nourishing it with compost. With that done, your vegetable patch is ready for seeding.

Growing vegetables in raised beds

Raised beds are another great option for small gardens. Make sure to nourish the soil and secure good drainage. The warmth and good drainage means you can plant earlier in the season than with other micro vegetable gardens. However this isn’t the right set up for all vegetables. Stick with the salads and leafy plants and avoid tall plants especially ones that need support like tomatoes and runner beans.

Growing vegetables in pots & containers

Pots and containers expand planting space so they’re a perfect solution for urban micro gardens. For vegetables to thrive in this environment a spacious pot is needed which is at least 12 inches deep and 10 inches wide. Moving pots around to access the right conditions is important so keep the weight light. Other considerations for container gardens is good drainage and using potting mix soil to achieve the best results.

Growing vegetables in a greenhouse

If your planting areas are limited, growing vegetables in a greenhouse could be a good alternative. However, this setup is not the same as other pots and containers. Greenhouses can become humid very quickly so manage the humidity levels and water plants regularly. Often fertilisers are required too. As with the raised beds, not all vegetables can grow in greenhouses. Tomatoes, squashes and leafy greens are the best candidates.

What to do next if you want to grow your own vegetables

Once you have chosen the best small garden for your needs, follow these best practices for how to grow vegetables at home. Always check the calendar to work out what vegetables grow best when. Even urban micro gardens revolve around the seasons. Be prepared to get your hands dirty with digging, planting and weeding. Pick your vegetables according to the conditions of your small garden.

If you need support getting your small vegetable garden up and running, you can hire a professional gardener or tradesperson.

Find the perfect helper for your set up over on Rated People so you can enjoy plenty of fresh and tasty homegrown vegetables this summer.

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Did you know that importing vegetables into the UK releases 19 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere? Reducing your economic impact by planting vegetables at home is doable even for the busiest families because some seeded vegetables are easier to grow than expected. With the recent boom in home improvements, creating a vegetable garden could be your next project.

How to create a vegetable garden at home

A key factor in ensuring a harvest of tasty home grown vegetables is planting each type of seed at the right time. Most easy vegetables to grow prefer a warmer climate so will be ready to eat in the summer months. However, some are hardy enough to survive the winter.

A top gardening tip for beginners is to stagger planting seeds over the months, so you have a fresh crop for as long as possible. For the best results, watch out for weeds. The old-fashioned way of digging up weeds is more than suitable for a home garden.

Choosing easy vegetables to grow at home

Fresh and organic homegrown vegetables are attainable when you know what vegetables are the easiest for beginners to grow. For example, choosing plants that are resistant to pests reduces the chance of crops being eaten by bugs before you have the opportunity to grow and eat them. Quick-growing vegetables will produce a regular supply during their growing period.

Plants that can thrive even in the shade are more manageable. With the British weather, tolerance to frost is important if you want fresh vegetables all year round. Vegetables with the ability to cope in poor soil are beginner-friendly too because they don’t require as much extra work.

Here are some vegetables that fit this beginner-friendly criteria.

Radishes

Radishes are a great choice. Their peppery taste makes them a popular addition to salads. From a gardener’s perspective, radishes grow fast with some varieties being ready to eat within 24 days of planting. As they’re hardy and can fight the frost, they’re a good vegetable to have in your rotation.

Green beans

Green beans are a classic side dish made tasty with just a bit of seasoning and butter. There are lots of varieties to choose from with bush varieties being perfect for the home grower because they grow in a compact bush, meaning they won’t take up a lot of space. They are good in poor soil making them an almost guaranteed success.

Peppers

Peppers are a good choice for the sunny part of your garden because they love the heat, whether planted in a raised bed, container or on a patio. The only extra bit of care they need to produce a good harvest is stakes, so make sure there’s enough space for a trellis.

Carrots

Carrots have a lot of fun, colourful and eccentric varieties, so you can experiment with this vegetable. Plus, they are fairly easy to plant as long as you space them out in loose sandy soil (you can add sand yourself if needed).

Cucumbers

Cucumbers don’t only taste good but look good climbing up a fence or a wall. They need to be planted in a sunny spot where the soil has already been fed well. With those criteria fulfilled, you can expect a good crop of cucumbers to enjoy.

Kale

Kale is a super vegetable packed with nutrients, making it popular in healthy smoothies. It can also be baked, fried or eaten raw in salads. Another benefit is a kale plant’s leaves, buds and flowers are edible too so you can plant it early in the season and enjoy all its tasty produce for months.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are used in all sorts of dishes, have lots of exciting varieties and have beautiful sprawling vines, making them a top pick for a vegetable garden. If you don’t want to start from seed, you can use a transfer plant instead.

Garlic

Garlic is one of the first crops to grow in spring. You know they’re ready to harvest when the leaves turn yellow. All that’s required to get started is planting a clove the right way up in the ground.

Lettuce

Lettuce is another salad favourite. To mix it up, buy a bag of mixed seeds so you get a surprise combination of varieties at harvest. As well as growing well from seed, lettuce likes cool weather.

What to do next if you want to grow your own vegetables

As final guidance for how to grow vegetables at home, decide where you’ll put your vegetable garden. This could be in a specific patch, greenhouse, across containers or in raised beds. Then check the calendar and plan your planting schedule with the seasons. Knowing what grows best when is key to success. Be prepared for a workout because plentiful vegetable gardens require digging, planting and weeding.

If you’re not sure if you can take on the work needed to grow your own vegetables by yourself, a professional gardener can be a massive help. Book a tradesperson through Rated People to ensure your homegrown vegetable garden gets off the ground and results in fresh and tasty produce.

The post The easiest vegetables for busy families to grow at home appeared first on Rated People Blog.

3.3 million of us have tuned in to watch love and drama unfold in the dreamy Love Island villa. But it’s not just the Islanders that are turning our heads this summer. Many of us are taking inspiration from the modern and spacious Majorcan villa to create our own picture-perfect gardens. So much so, that 31% more garden-related jobs have been posted on Rated People in 2021 so far, compared to 2020.

So, whether your heart’s set on a fire pit or you’re longing for your own swimming pool, discover 5 top tips from lifestyle influencer, Our_Little_Doer_Upper, on how to create the ultimate Love Island garden that’ll give you those holiday vibes at home!

1. Study your space

Before planning any garden design, it is important you get to know the area you are working with. Identify which areas are shady and which have the most sun. It is also worth noting where the sun sets in the evening. This is key for creating the ultimate outdoor entertainment area as you can add a seating area that catches the last of the evening sun and work the rest of the space around this.

Creating an outdoor entertaining area could increase your home’s value by £4,286, according to The Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report: 2020.

2. Add lighting

Create the atmosphere you’re looking for in your garden with some lighting. Festoon lighting is a great way to bring a holiday vibe to your space, or why not try some uplighters in your garden beds for that boutique villa feel? 

An impressive 48% more outdoor lighting jobs have been posted on Rated People this year, compared to the same period last year.

3. Create focal features

Make your garden a social hub by creating interesting areas and features. For example, a fire pit and a seating area is the perfect place to entertain when the sun goes down, or you can add a hot tub to your garden for the ultimate luxury.

Did you know? Building a swimming pool could add as much as £7,707 to your home’s overall value.

4. Invest in plants and foliage

Add foliage for a tropical paradise. Banana plants and palms can create that exotic, getaway feel.

Triple the number of homeowners have requested low-maintenance astro-turf instead of lawns in their gardens, meaning they’ll spend less time mowing and more time sunbathing!

5. Add some height

Use raised borders to create interest and work in colour without taking up too much space. Sleepers can add some height in your garden and painting them can add an extra pop of colour for that modern, luxury villa feel.

Whatever your budget, hire a skilled tradesperson to talk through your Love Island garden vision and make it a reality.

The post Love Island garden ideas and inspiration appeared first on Rated People Blog.

The sweet spot for our lawns in the UK is probably about a week, sitting somewhere between periods of weather that are too cold, too wet, too hot and too dry. Your lush lawn can soon turn into a brown-ish lawn and then into a desert-like lawn. Then there’s the work involved in feeding, mowing, edging and weeding.

Our lawns demand a lot of our time and can give a lot back in terms of enjoyment, but far too often they leave us disappointed or frustrated. For this reason, many of us are now turning to artificial grass, which has come a long way from greengrocers’ grass or the unforgiving surfaces of artificial football pitches. Modern artificial grass is often hard to tell from the real thing, drains just like natural turf and is comfortable to lay on or play on. It’s also very durable and won’t get ruined if the kids run across it on a wet day or decide it’s now Wimbledon’s Centre Court.

But where should you start if you’re considering ditching the grass in favour of something low-maintenance? Here are the five key things to think about.

Garden size

If you have a vast, rolling lawn that you look after on your sit-on mower then artificial grass is probably not for you. The cost may be prohibitive, but your lawn is probably an important feature of your garden that’s going to be hard to better with artificial turf. If you really want to try an artificial lawn then speak with a garden designer, landscaper or professional gardener first. They may have ideas for an entire garden re-design that can incorporate some areas of artificial turf.

Attracting wildlife

Your grass lawn will be home to hundreds of different sorts of insects, from worms to beetles, which will in turn attract birds. You should always think of new ways to attract wildlife to your garden when you have your artificial grass installed. Consider insect houses, rocky crevices for them to hide under and plenty of bright flowers to attract the bees. Make sure there’s a water feature, or at least some kind of water source, too.

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Achieving a natural look

Most lawns don’t look like a bowling green or a well-rolled football pitch at the start of the season. So your lawn will need some imperfections for it to look real. For this reason, many manufacturers of artificial grasses create their grass with flecks of brown or some brown roots. This may sound like it will spoil your perfect lawn, but it really does make it look realistic and still appear to be a well-tended patch of turf. DIY stores or gardening experts will be able to offer a range of colours of grass too. Try to see a large area of it before you choose. Brushing the grass with a broom will give it a nice pile, as well as keeping weeds, leaves and any other detritus at bay.

Garden drainage

A professional gardener or landscaper will lay your new artificial grass over a permeable mesh or membrane, which will also stop weeds growing up through your lawn. You should ensure that your turf has proper drainage, as it will sit in pools on the surface otherwise. The rain water should drain from the surface evenly and a good installer will be willing to come back to troubleshoot any drainage problems and remedy them. Good drainage is particularly important in areas prone to flooding and will protect your home and that of your neighbours. Do make sure you ask about this and check what your installer is putting below the permeable membrane or mesh.

Read more: big ideas for small gardens

Grass height and density

These are two of the main things that will impact on the look (as well as the cost) of your artificial turf. You will probably want a lush, spiky grass, which gives the appearance of a freshly-mown lawn. Too short and it will look bare, too long and the grass will bend over on itself. Somewhere between 30mm and 40mm is the best height for the grass. Turf will usually be sold with labels such as mid-weight, lightweight and luxury. This should be an indicator of density, but be sure to ask about weight per square-metre and compare brands and prices.

For more ideas on building a sustainable garden, read TV presenter and naturalist Chris Packham’s top tips, plus find the improvements you can do in under an hour to spruce up your outside space.

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