- These vegetables are particularly uncomplicated
- When can which vegetables go into the bed?
- Which vegetables should you give preference to?
- For healthier plants: mixed culture
- How to keep snails out of vegetable beds
- Caring for vegetables properly
- frequently asked Questions
Fresh vegetables from your own garden not only taste better, but also score with many other advantages: They don't have to be carted in from distant regions, you know what's "in there" (pesticides aren't in there anyway) and gardening keeps you fit . Read here how you can grow your own vegetables.
Diversity protects against pests and diseases
Table of Contents
Show all- Uncomplicated vegetables
- sowing and planting
- Mixed culture for healthier plants
- Caring for vegetables properly
- frequently asked Questions
- beans: Bush beans, in particular, do not require much care and produce a large yield. Just sow them after the Ice Saints. Since this type of bean is only 40 to 50 centimeters high, supporting structures are also not necessary.
- garlic: If you like garlic, simply stick a few cloves (with the tip upwards!) in the bed in spring or autumn. The plant then grows almost by itself. Incidentally, garlic and strawberries can be wonderfully socialized, as the tubers keep many pests away from the strawberry plants.
- Kohlrabi: Kohlrabi is also very simple: the young plants are placed in the vegetable patch and grow there until the tubers are big enough to be harvested.
- herbs: Herbs such as chives, parsley etc. should not be missing in any garden. They are indispensable in the kitchen and usually very uncomplicated to cultivate.
- chard: Swiss chard is also unknown to many people, but it is very easy to grow, tasty and healthy. The colorful stalks can be harvested eight to ten weeks after sowing and will always grow back.
- radish: Radishes can be sown almost all year round and can be harvested after just four weeks.
- Beetroot: Beetroot is also wonderfully easy to cultivate, and you can also leave the tubers in the ground during the winter and simply harvest as needed. However, cover the bed with a protective layer of straw.
- salad: Whether cut or picking lettuce: almost all types of lettuce are fast-growing and uncomplicated. The plants should be fertilized little, but need a slightly moist soil.
- Jerusalem Artichoke: The healthy tubers of this type of sunflower are still little known in this country, but they are a delicious vegetable that can be prepared in a variety of ways. In addition, the large flowers of the plants, which are up to three meters high, decorate every garden. But be careful: It is essential to install a root barrier, as Jerusalem artichoke tends to proliferate.
- zucchini: Zucchini plants grow huge and need a lot of space. Provided with sufficient water and standing in a sunny and warm location, a family of four can be supplied with the delicious fruits all summer long with just one or two plants.
- onions: Onions are just as uncomplicated as garlic: simply buy onion sets and stick them in the ground. The plants practically grow by themselves.
- Do not cultivate plants of the same plant family together.
- Do not only plant heavy feeders in the vegetable patch, but heavy, medium and weak feeders.
- This will prevent the soil from being overly depleted.
- Plant slow-growing vegetables next to fast-growing ones, placing the slow-growing ones in the center of the bed and the fast-growing ones at the edges.
- Place deep-rooted crops (carrots, salsify, radish) alongside shallow-rooted crops (lettuces and other leafy greens, herbs).
- Plant herbs in the bed or place them as a bed border.
- pour: Vegetable plants need a lot of water, especially during fruit ripening, and should under no circumstances be subject to drought stress. Water the vegetable patch preferably in the morning, as well as vigorously and penetratingly. On particularly hot days, feed your plants again in the early evening. However, never pour over the leaves, always pour directly onto the ground!
- Fertilize: The vegetable patch should already be supplied with compost and rotted manure in the autumn of the previous year so that the nutrients enter the soil and the humus content increases. Plants with a medium to high nutrient requirement should also be supplied with organic fertilizers during the growing season. Preferably when planting and again in June / July, bring out compost and horn shavings for this purpose.
- weed weed: Regular weeding is essential so that the vegetables can grow and do not have to compete with other plants for light and nutrients. Unfortunately, there is no way around it. However, suitable tools (e.g. a weed hoe with a long handle) will make your work easier. Take this opportunity to loosen the soil regularly so that water can penetrate better and the surface does not harden.
- mulching: Mulching the vegetable bed not only helps to keep moisture in the soil longer and suppress weeds. Suitable materials - such as green waste - are also ideal as additional fertilizer and rot quickly.
These vegetables are particularly uncomplicated
If you don't have a lot of experience growing vegetables, it's best to use these uncomplicated types of vegetables:
Herbs and lettuce are particularly easy to grow
The vegetables listed are particularly robust and easily forgive one or the other mistake. Nevertheless, you can hope for a rich harvest as long as the summer is not too cold and rainy. If you garden together with your (small) children, the best thing is for the little ones to have their own vegetable patch, where they can do as they please. Give preference to fast-growing vegetables that are also great to eat straight from the bed: radishes or mangetout, for example, are ideal.
When can which vegetables go into the bed?
After you have decided which vegetables to put in the vegetable garden, it is now time to prepare the soil. Loosen the garden soil well and as deeply as possible so that the plants can later root deeply. It is best to carry out work such as digging in the autumn so that the ground can lie fallow over the winter and the frost can refine the thick crumbs of earth. Before digging up, you can also sow green manure (e.g. phacelia), let it emerge and later dig under.
sowing calendar
The classic way to order your vegetable garden is of course in spring. However, not all types of vegetables are allowed in the bed at the same time, because some do not tolerate frost and should therefore be planted out as late as possible. Others, on the other hand, can also be planted later in the year - for example as a so-called subsequent crop - so that the vegetable beds can be used as best as possible from spring to autumn. The following overview shows you when you can sow the most popular types of vegetables.
Spinach can be sown as early as March
| sowing | vegetables |
|---|---|
| March April | Spinach, radishes (early varieties), cauliflower (early varieties), parsnips, onions, lettuce, carrots, turnip greens |
| May June | Bush beans, cucumbers, courgettes, radishes (subsequent seed), lettuce (subsequent seed), peas, pumpkin, chard, broccoli, cauliflower (late varieties), kale, Brussels sprouts, swedes |
| July August | Spinach (autumn varieties), radishes (subsequent sowing), lamb's lettuce, leeks |
| September | Spinach, chard, arugula, lamb's lettuce, winter postelein, winter garlic |
However, if you sow seeds in September, you will not harvest the vegetables that grow from them until the following March. The exception here is the late-sown rocket, which you can harvest from October. Otherwise, you can sow the vegetables mentioned directly in the bed, but also put them in as young plants. With the latter option, you will harvest faster.
digression
Which vegetables should you give preference to?
In particular, frost-sensitive vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, courgettes, cucumbers or chili should be planted on the windowsill from February / March and only planted out in the garden or greenhouse from around mid to late May. It is also important to bring the plants forward here because the late planting date would otherwise not allow for a timely harvest before winter.Observe crop rotation
"Proper crop rotation prevents many diseases caused by weakness."
Lettuce is often grown as a pre-crop
Vegetable beds want to be used in a well thought-out manner and should lie fallow as little as possible. For this reason, you don't just grow a single type of vegetable on a bed, but combine so-called main crops with previous and subsequent crops. Main crops are species that have a long growing season and therefore take up a lot of time in the bed. These species are usually not planted in the bed until May / June, which is why fast-growing precultures are ideal. After the harvest, on the other hand, you grow secondary crops.
If possible, choose plants from different plant families and with different nutrient requirements for the staggered cultivation planning. For example, no heavy feeder should be cultivated after a heavy feeder - i.e. not a plant with a high nutrient requirement for another - but rather a species with a lower requirement should follow. The following overviews will help you to select suitable combinations.
Table 1: Pre-, main and sub-cultures
| cultural form | Suitable vegetables |
|---|---|
| preculture | Lettuce, spinach, radishes, lettuce and Asian salads, rocket, spring onions, turnips, early onions, kohlrabi |
| main culture | Tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, sweet corn, cucumbers, zucchini, carrots, various types of cabbage, pumpkin, eggplant |
| postculture | Spinach, radishes, French beans, lamb's lettuce, leeks, kohlrabi, rocket |
Table 2: Plant families
The eggplant belongs to the nightshade family
When rotating crops, be careful not to let vegetables from the same plant family follow each other. Proven combinations are, for example, spinach before carrots, bush beans after potatoes or lamb's lettuce after cabbage.
| plant family | Associated vegetables |
|---|---|
| umbellifers | Fennel, carrots, parsley, celery |
| Goosefoot family | Swiss chard, beetroot, spinach |
| daisy family | Artichokes, salads, salsify |
| cruciferous | Radish, radish, arugula, all types of cabbage |
| cucurbits | Cucumber, pumpkin, melon, zucchini |
| lily family | Leek, garlic, onions |
| nightshade family | Eggplants, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes |
| papilionaceous plants | beans, peas |
nutrient requirements of plants
Before planting or sowing heavily consuming vegetable plants - i.e. those with a high nutrient requirement - the vegetable bed should be provided with organic fertilizers. Compost and horn shavings (32.93€) are well suited here, but also rotted stable manure. In particular, lettuce and leafy vegetables should only be fertilized lightly, otherwise too many harmful nitrates accumulate in the leaves.
| nutritional needs | vegetable plants |
|---|---|
| weak feeder | Bush beans, peas, lamb's lettuce, lettuce, almost all herbs |
| medium eater | Eggplant, fennel, kohlrabi, chard, carrots, peppers, radishes, beetroot, salads, spinach, runner beans, onions |
| heavy feeder | Cucumbers, potatoes, cabbage, squash, leeks, New Zealand spinach, celery, tomatoes, zucchini, sweetcorn |
For healthier plants: mixed culture
In this video you will get many great and tried and tested tips to imitate in your own garden:
Video:youtube
Mixed culture means that you don't just grow a single type of vegetable on the bed, but rather different ones. This mix keeps the plants strong and healthy, making it easier for them to fight off disease and pests. As a result, you need fewer chemical pesticides and can therefore garden completely organically. These tips will help you to ensure that the mixed culture is successful and that the individual plants complement each other well:
Garlic and strawberries are a dream couple
We have summarized which herbs go particularly well with which vegetables in the following table:
| herbs | Good vegetable neighbors |
|---|---|
| basil | cucumber, tomato, onion |
| dill | Beans, cucumber, all types of cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, onions |
| Nasturtium | Potatoes, runner beans, tomatoes |
| garlic | Strawberries and other berries, cucumbers, carrots, lettuce, tomatoes |
| garden cress | lettuce, radishes |
| lavender | Potatoes, all types of cabbage |
| Parsely | Leek, radishes, tomatoes |
| marigold | Peas, nightshades like potatoes and tomatoes |
| rosemary | Beans, cabbage, carrots, tomatoes |
| sage | Cabbage, carrots, tomatoes |
| chives | Cabbage, leeks, carrots, tomatoes |
| Marigolds (marigold) | potatoes, tomatoes |
digression
How to keep snails out of vegetable beds
Slugs and snails like to attack many vegetables and herbs, which is why you should plan the beds with good slug protection right from the start. To do this, surround the beds with a snail fence before planting or mulch the areas with straw or bark chips. The latter also has the advantage that the mulch (€239.00) retains moisture in the soil and it does not dry out as quickly. Particularly popular snail food is best grown in raised beds.Caring for vegetables properly
So that the vegetable plants grow well and you can bring in a rich harvest, you should take good care of the beds. A vegetable garden is a lot of work, but it also keeps you fit and rewards. Pay particular attention to these tips:
frequently asked Questions
Which vegetables can be stored particularly well?
Most types of vegetables should be freshly prepared or preserved within three days at the latest. Potatoes, pumpkins and some root vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, beetroot, radishes, black salsify, onions and garlic can be stored for longer periods. A prerequisite for a long shelf life, however, is storage in a dark, cool and dry place. In addition, the stored vegetables should be freed from all leaves and the skin should be intact.
What is the best way to preserve vegetables?
Leafy greens in particular should be cleaned immediately after harvest, blanched briefly and then frozen. Actually, almost all types of vegetables - cut into bite-sized pieces - can be frozen well and can be kept for at least six months. In contrast, traditional preserving or preserving is a little more complex to produce, but lasts longer and is also more resource-efficient.
Are there any types of vegetables that can be grown in winter?
Typical winter vegetables that defy even sub-zero temperatures are, for example, lamb's lettuce, beetroot, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, white cabbage, kale, chicory, black salsify, turnips (called "Wrucken" in northern Germany) or the lesser-known Jerusalem artichoke.
Which vegetables can I cultivate on the balcony?
Basically, pretty much any vegetable can be cultivated on the balcony. Please note, however, that plants grown in planters need significantly more care than in a vegetable patch: regular watering and fertilizing is a must, otherwise diseases will occur and the harvest will be poor. Incidentally, vine and bush tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, lettuce, beans, sugar snap peas and chard work particularly well.
tips
Do not sow or plant all the vegetables of one variety at the same time, but place plants and seeds in the bed a few days later. That way, you don't harvest the fruits all at once, but one after the other.