It is amazing the quantity of vegetables that can be grown in a small plot of ground or a raised bed. The big vegetables such as cabbage and kale can be planted among the herbaceous plants and harvested as required. Sow tall, bulky vegetables such as peas and beans in the ornamental garden. Train them to grow up home made willow tripods.
Try growing early potatoes in pots of compost earthing up the stalks as they grow. By the time you harvest them there can be 20-30 potatoes in each pot. The pots can sit on the patio without looking out of place.
Having spread the large vegetables around the garden the plot for the vegetables won’t require a lot of space. Sow a few lettuce at a time. Two short rows transplanted to 5 inches in the row with the rows 9 inches apart will provide a lot of lettuce. Start using them early when half grown taking every other one out of the row to leave double the space for the remainder.
Between the lettuce rows sow spring onions sometimes called scallions. They will have space to grow and will be ready for use at the same time. A few radish grown from seed go a long way so don’t sow more than you need. If allowed to mature before picking they will be very hot to the taste.
Carrots and parsnips should be planted close to garlic to help disguise their smell. It is the odour of the carrot leaf which attracts the carrot fly pest. It lays its eggs and the grubs tunnel into the roots destroying the crop. A barrier of horticultural fleece 18 inches high will prevent them flying into the crop. Properly spaced sowing will reduce the thinning required and there will be less smell of crushed foliage.
Onion sets can be spaced at 6 inches in the row with the rows 12 inches apart. Between the rows sow a thin line of parsley. It is slow to germinate and will only be bulking up as the onions ripen for lifting and storage.
Beetroot, swiss chard, leeks and self blanching celery are good vegetables for small areas. A few go a long way. By sowing small amounts regularly less space is needed and there is less waste. Lettuce, scallions and small finger carrots such as ‘Amsterdam Forcing’ can be sown at two weekly intervals. Edge the bed with lavender, box or thyme for that classic look.
It is amazing the quantity of vegetables that can be grown in a small plot of ground or a raised bed. The big vegetables such as cabbage and kale can be planted among the herbaceous plants and harvested 
Having spread the large vegetables around the garden the plot for the vegetables won’t require a lot of space. Sow a few lettuce at a time. Two short rows transplanted to 5 inches in the row with the rows 9 inches apart will provide a lot of lettuce. Start using them early when half grown taking every other one out of the row to leave double the space for the remainder. 
Carrots and parsnips should be planted close to garlic to help disguise their smell. It is the odour of the carrot leaf which attracts the carrot fly pest. It lays its eggs and the grubs tunnel into the roots destroying the crop. A barrier of horticultural fleece 18 inches high will prevent them flying into the crop. Properly spaced sowing will reduce the thinning required and there will be less smell of crushed foliage.
Beetroot, swiss chard, leeks and self blanching celery are good vegetables for small areas. A few go a long way. By sowing small amounts regularly less space is needed and there is less waste. Lettuce, scallions and small finger carrots such as ‘Amsterdam Forcing’ can be sown at two weekly intervals. Edge the bed with lavender, box or thyme for that classic look. 
