If you’ve had mixed success with growing fruit and vegetables, it may be simply because your plants don’t like the spot you’ve put them in.
It’s something gardeners don’t always give much thought to, says expert Lucy Chamberlain, who grows more than 150 varieties of fruits, vegetables and herbs in her kitchen garden, and co-hosts the podcast Talking Heads.
“As gardeners, we are taught that rhododendrons like an acid soil, and clematis like their feet in the shade and their heads in the sun. Ornamental plants prefer certain growing environments but we don’t think like that for edibles,” she says.
“There are edibles that love shade, edibles that love sun and some that love moisture, while others love dryness. If you put them in the right place, they’re happier and they will grow better naturally.”
With this in mind, Chamberlain has written RHS Grow Food Anywhere, in which she breaks down the environments found in gardens into seven zones, from sunny and sheltered to shady and dry, and the edible plants which will suit the conditions of each zone.
Zone 1 – sunny and sheltered
Strawberries
“The sweetness of any crop is directly related to the amount of sun it can get. Shelter is important for strawberries because bees will visit to pollinate the flowers, and if the site is open and exposed and windy, that’s not going to happen,” she says.
Top tip: If you have the space, grow as many strawberry plants as you can because you’ll need plenty for a good harvest.
Other crops to grow in Zone 1: Nectarines and apricots, runner beans, peppers, aubergines and tomatoes.
Zone 2 – sunny, open and dry
Figs
“Figs are ridiculously drought-proof once they get going, although when the plants are young they will need water to get them established,” she says.
“Growing them in a pot is a good way to constrict them and it also gets them to crop sooner because the constricted roots focus the plant’s attention on cropping.”
Top tip: Grow them against a south-facing wall and when you are pruning, fan them out and pin them back against the wall, which will allow more sun to the fruit.
Other crops to grow in Zone 2: Asparagus, summer purslane, grapes and salsify.
Zone 3 – sunny and moist
Butternut squash
“These do brilliantly in a sunny and moist location. They are tender, but once they get enough moisture and warmth they will romp away like crazy,” Chamberlain says.
“I sow mine in pots under cover in mid-April, then in mid-to-late May, I’ll plant them out.”
Top tip: Leave at least a square metre between each plant because if you plant them together they will just compete with each other. They need generous spacing.
Other crops to grow in Zone 3: Pears, pumpkins, courgettes, broccoli, potatoes, Florence fennel and lettuce.
Zone 4 – open and cold
Broad beans
“You can sow them in the autumn if you have a free-draining soil, but most people sow them in the spring. ‘De Monica’ is a spring-sown variety which bulks up quickly, or if you want an autumn-sown type, ‘Aquadulce Claudia’ is a fantastic bean because it has a head start on the others, is really hardy and you get lots of pods per plant,” she suggests.
Top tip: Eat more than the shelled beans from the plant. Pinch out the tops in May and eat as a leafy green like spinach, or the baby pods whole when they are the size of a little finger. If the shelled beans go over, boil them out of their shell to make into a pate with mint, garlic and lemon.
Other crops to grow in Zone 4: Carrots and parsnips, onions, beetroot, blueberries, plums and apples.
Zone 5 – part shade
Raspberries
“You don’t need many raspberry canes for a good crop. I have a two metre-row of summer (fruiting) and autumn (fruiting) raspberries at home, and my freezer is full of them.
“You can have them side by side. They like to have cool roots, which is where the shade comes in, but like a little sunshine to ripen the fruits. They’re essentially like a forest plant in the woodland margins.
“They like moist but free-draining soil with lots of added organic matter.”
Top tip: Plant them in the autumn, to give them time to settle in before they start early growth. Prune the autumn-fruiting canes down to the ground in winter and they should crop again the following year from late July through to October.
Other crops to grow in Zone 5: Perpetual spinach, salad rocket, raspberries and pak choi.
Zone 6 – shady and wet
Celeriac
“Celeriac loves slow, steady, continual moisture. I sow my seeds into modules in February inside, quite early. I keep them under cover until late March or early April, when they need to be hardened off.
“Make sure they have that slow, steady moisture until you harvest them in mid to late October.”
Top tip: Give your celeriac plants wide spacings – around 30cm (1ft) apart – so they are not competing with each other, giving you more chance of bigger heads. Mulch them to conserve soil moisture. You’ll need to water if you have prolonged drought.
Other crops to grow in Zone 6: Blackcurrants, rhubarb, mizuna and parsley.
Zone 7 – Shady and dry
Gooseberries
“Gooseberries do well for me as I have sandy soil and a shady wall which I grow them up against, and because they’re naturally quite sour, along with redcurrants, they are perfectly happy in a shady spot.”
Depending on the variety, they should be ready to harvest from May onwards.
Top tip: A really good cropper is ‘Invicta’, which is dual purpose, being both suitable for cooking and eating raw. Buy them as a potted bush from a garden centre or nursery.
Other crops to grow in Zone 7: Currants, horseradish and alpine strawberries.
RHS Grow Food Anywhere by Lucy Chamberlain is published by DK, priced £20. Available now
