Grow your own way! How to grow your own fruit and vegetables in your garden

With autumn just around the corner you may think the season for growing your own fruit and vegetables is over. It’s actually a great time for planting a whole range of crops which will be ready to tuck in to when spring comes around.

Enjoying homegrown goods rather than shop-bought comes with many benefits. There’s no fresher crop than one grown in your own back garden, and you can’t beat the sense of pride and achievement knowing you’ve grown something you can eat, which hasn’t impacted the environment or health during the process. It can also be a lot of fun and a great learning experience for little ones to get involved with.

From gardens and greenhouses to windowsills and cloches, there’s a variety of fruit, herbs and veg that can be grown in these environments around this time of year – here are some of our favourites…

FRUIT TREES

Autumn is the ideal season to plant fruit trees, such as apple, pear and plum. When planting fruit trees, it’s important to allow enough space for the roots to spread out, and worth remembering that they like to be in a sunny spot where they won’t be completely exposed to the elements.

ONIONS AND GARLIC

For a harvest early next year, now is the time to plant onions, shallots and garlic. These can be planted from seeds or from bulbs, they’re low maintenance and you’ll be able to enjoy them in no time! There’s a huge variety in the onion and garlic family. The RHS website has some handy guides on the differences and what to plant when.

SALAD LEAVES

Sowing (which means to scatter the seeds in the soil) salad leaves such as winter gem, arctic king or lamb’s lettuce is a great way to ensure healthy, fresh lunches will be readily available from your garden or greenhouse as we head into next spring. Winter gem is perfect for an unheated greenhouse, whilst arctic king and lamb’s lettuce can be planted directly into the ground.

HERBS

Adding delicious flavours to home cooked meals can be done straight from the source as herbs can be grown on your windowsill throughout the autumn and winter months. Chives, dill, parsley and basil will all grow well at this time of year and contribute to hearty dishes throughout the colder seasons.

CAULIFLOWER

It’s good news for cauliflower fans, as this crop can be grown all year round. Birds and caterpillars are a fan of this crop in particular, so to help protect it during the sowing and growing stages cover with mesh or grow in a cold frame or cloche.

Have you been growing your own fruit and veg? Tag us in your photos @millerhomesuk – we’d love to see!