Nearly 40% of Brits struggle to find time for gardening, but green-fingered guru Amy Chapman has shared the low-maintenance plants that will leave you with a ‘huge harvest’
It can be difficult to find time in your schedule for gardening tasks, but one green-fingered guru has revealed the low-maintenance vegetables that are simple to sow and grow.
In fact, a recent study found that 39 percent Brits admit they have stopped gardening due to a lack of time, while 35 percent said they don’t know where to start. Fortunately, planting pro Amy Chapman has shared the “beginner friendly” seeds to sow in April, and it will only take a matter of moments.
Taking to TikTok, under the username @inthecottagegarden, Amy said: “Courgettes or zucchinis are one of the easiest vegetables you can grow and they’ll reward you with huge harvests.” She explained that the “super fast growers” should be planted into individual pots of compost, rather than small trays as they will outgrow these “very quickly”.
“I like to sow two seeds per pot and remove the weaker seedling later on,” Amy explained, adding: “Cover the seeds with a centimetre of compost and then keep them in your house until the frosts have passed.”
According to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), the plants should be transplanted outdoors in early summer and they are ready to harvest from as early as late June. They can continue to produce fruits until the autumn, often right up until the first frosts.
The expert also hails cucumbers and cucamelons as “pretty easy” plants to grow, adding they can be productive provided they are given the right support. She explained that she sows the seed into small trays of pre-watered compost, dropping one or two seeds in each small hole.
As they begin to grow, Amy will make sure there is just one plant per module. She explained: “Cucumbers need warm soil to germinate, so ideally keep these in your house somewhere warm, such as on a heat mat or above a radiator to help them grow.”
The RHS suggests planting the vegetables outside in early June, with them ready to harvest between July and October. The final low-maintenance vegetable that Amy recommends planting is runner beans, as they are “resilient and rewarding” to grow.
They are also considered a cost-effective plant, as saving the seeds is simple, meaning you’ll never have to buy them in store again. The gardening expert continued: “Just push one or two seeds into each pot of compost about two inches deep. Cover them over and keep them on a sunny windowsill in your house.”
It’s important to note that runner beans are frost sensitive so they should not be planted outside until all risk of frost has passed. The RHS writes that harvest can be expected between July and October.
Impressed followers rushed to the comments to share their reaction to the helpful video, as one user penned: “Courgettes are the one thing I never have an issue with compared to many other things.”
Another gushed: “About to go buy all these seeds and going to start my little vegetable patch,” while a third said: “I sowed courgettes and cucumbers today.”
