Resources to help you Grow a Row
Want to get involved in Grow a Row, but it’s your first time growing and need a helping hand? Unsure of what fruit and veg to grow and when? Or are you limited on garden space and need some growing in small spaces advice? Explore our list of resources to help guide you on your growing journey, including growing guides for first time growers and limited space, as well as advice for setting up school gardens.
Growing Guides
Garden Organic provide advice on how to get started with their simple grow your own cards. These will help you get the best from your organic garden, covering vegetables, fruit, herbs, edible flowers and green manures. Each card includes growing instructions, a growing calendar and key facts and figures.
Check out these BBC gardening guides for helpful advice on techniques to grow fresh produce.
National Children’s Gardening Week celebrates the fun that gardening provides kids. It is filled with entertaining activities to do from home including growing edible hanging baskets and how to grow your own salad. While it is aimed at children, you are never too old to have some growing fun! See their fun gardening activities to do at home here.
First Time Growing
The Royal Horticultural Society website has an extensive list of tips and advice to help first time growers, with month to month and A-Z guides of growing veg and fruit.
Gardeners World has made a list of the 10 best beginner vegetables to grow along with detailed guide to help get you started.
Discover what to plant and when with The Royal Horticultural Society’s veg planner.
The Eden Project has made a series of informative video tutorials for beginners on how to grow a variety of different plants from seed, perfect for small gardening spaces.
Growing with limited space
Country Living has lots of tips on how to grow your own produce from home whether you have enough space for a veg path or are growing on a sunny windowsill.
If you are limited in space The Royal Horticultural Society has put together a guide for growing veg in small spaces.
This Gardeners World webpage gives you details and video demonstrations on how to grow from bags and pots for tomatoes, salad, potatoes, carrots and even mushrooms!
Advice on how to grow in small areas, and the best vegetables to choose here.
An informative Guardian article covering growing food with or without a garden.
Planting vegetables in containers is a versatile method that allows you to grow even when you have hardly any space - discover the The Royal Horticultural Society best vegetables suitable for containers here. For advice on how to get the best from your pots, such as combining crops that like to grow in similar conditions, see here.
Growing Resources for schools
The Royal Horticultural Society runs a Campaign for School Gardening, to inspire and support schools to provide children with gardening opportunities to enhance their skills and boost their development. Schools can register online, receiving a free welcome pack containing seeds, plant labels, stickers and a poster. They will gain access to free downloadable content including lesson plans, and receive awards and certificates to help progress through the School Gardening Awards. Explore their website for free information sheets, activities, growing tips and guides.
Check out this informative blog on how to establish a school garden and build momentum and interest, including what to grow and how to access funding here.
Volunteers from Nightingale Garden help out at Queen Edith’s Primary School in Cambridge to help run a school garden. Their blog post provides inspiration of what to grow, the space you’ll need and handy tips for growing with children.