Whether you are starting an allotment as a hobby or you plan to grow it into a local business, growing your own produce can always be a good thing and it will allow you to enjoy some fresh air as well as make some extra money for yourself and your family.
If you are new to planting food and you want some ideas of easy to grow items to get you started, we have some helpful suggestions for you. These fruits and veggies are all pretty easy for you to grow and they can come back year after year to give you some steady crops.
Strawberries
For anyone starting out with an allotment, one of the easiest things you can grow is strawberries. Strawberries are a hardy plant and once you have established plants, they will die off and come back year after year to give you juicy and fresh fruits. One thing you need to be mindful of with strawberry plants is that they will attract greenfly and blackfly, and this is where some wholesale insecticides might come in handy to help prevent any damage. One great hack is to plant your strawberries next to another plant such as nasturtium and these plants will essentially protect your crop by attracting flies to their leaves instead. This is a helpful trick for your garden at home, an allotment, or even for a farm.
Rhubarb
Rhubarb is a tangy and tasty food, and it is one that is fairly simple for you to grow. The best way to start growing rhubarb is to take a section from a parent plant and use this to establish your own crop. These will require rich soil to grow, and once you are ready to harvest in the fall they can be pulled out of the ground and used for crumbles and other desserts.
Broccoli
Broccoli is one of those plants that many people don’t see growing, and it’s a shame because they are actually pretty easy to maintain. Broccoli plants grow in well drained soil from the spring onwards and the best way to get started is to grab yourself a starter plant from your local garden centre. Even for the fussiest of eaters, fresh broccoli can be a wonderful thing and a great addition to a meal.
Carrots
Carrots, like all root vegetables, grow underneath the ground – and this means making sure your starting soil is fertile is even more important than usual. Make sure that there are plenty of wonderful nutrients in the ground, and when planting carrots make sure to sign post it so you know where to pick them later!
Mint
Mint is a great herb to start off with if you have never managed an allotment before, because it is hardy and it will also spread really easily around your space. What we will say is make sure that you plant your mint in a pot and not directly into the ground as it can spread quickly and overtake other plants in its vicinity!
