Booklet info

Welcome to plant out, a monthly package that helps you grow your own fruit and veg.

Here's what you'll need this month:

18 x Small 5cm pots

4 x 8ft bamboo cane

2 x Air tight containers/ plastic bags

2 x 30 cm pieces of cloth/felt

A bag of compost

Tomato feed

Organic blood and bone fertiliser 

Well rotten manure

Strawberries

Strawberries are incredibly easy to grow and can be planted anywhere from hanging baskets to garden boarders therefore finding space for them shouldn't be an issue. Home grown strawberries have a delicious taste and are a very popular fruit. Growing strawberries indoors can make them grow quicker and they can be harvested up to a month early!

How To Grow: 

Place your packet of strawberry seeds inside a sealed plastic bag or an airtight container and place it in your freezer for 3 weeks, this is part of the germination process. Take the container out of the freezer and ensure not to break the seal on the container/ bag until the contents reach room temperature, this may take several hours but be patient as this process is important. 

Once they have thawed out you are ready to plant! Sow the seeds on damp compost in small trays or containers (two seeds per pot).

Place the pots on a piece of wet cloth/ felt this will make sure the seeds stay damp. Keep your pots inside at a temperature of about 24ºC. Germination usually takes about a week and you will see leaves starting to sprout. 

When the seed has produced 3 leaves then they are ready to be planted else where, this could be in the garden or in a larger pot indoors. 

Space transplants in rows at 60-90 cm apart. Make sure the container is well drained and that the plant doesn’t get waterlogged when young. 

Feed:

Liquid fertiliser such as tomato feed is perfect for strawberry plants. 

Harvesting:

Pick strawberries when they are bright red all over, ideally at the warmest time fo day as this is when they are at their sweetest. Eat them as soon as possible as they do not keep well but can be frozen. 

Recipes:

Strawberry Jam, Strawberry & Mascara Tart, Eton Mess, Strawberry Cheesecake, Strawberry Ice-Cream, Strawberry Gin and Trifle. 

Cherries

How to grow: 

Put the pits in plastic, air tight container and place them in the fridge for 10 weeks. This is done to mimic the cold spell cherry trees would naturally go through in the winter. Once the ten weeks is up, remove the seeds from the fridge and allow them to heat up to room temperature. 

Put two to three of the seeds into a small pot filled with moist soil, remember to keep the soil moist at all times. Keep the pots inside at an average temperature of 24ªC until they grow to at least 2 inches tall. 

Get rid of any seedlings that don’t grow well and only leave the strongest. Keep the seedlings in a sunny area of your home or outside as long as there is no frost. 

Wait until the seedlings are 8-12 inches in height and then transplant them into their permanent spot. 

When planting outside, remember that they will eventually grow into trees therefore need space for their roots to spread therefore should be planted 20 feet apart at a minimum. 

Feed:

Balanced general fertiliser that is preferably high in potassium. 

Harvesting: 

When the fruit is ready, it will be firm and fully coloured. Cherries will not ripen once picked so be sure that they are ready before harvest. Be careful 

Recipes:

Cherry Pie, Cherry Blossom Cake, Choc-Cherry Fudge Torte, Cherry & Almond Sponge, Black Forest Gateau

Rhubarb

How to grow:

Rhubarb seeds are encased in a large paper-like shells so they need preparing. To do this they need soaking in water for 1-2 hours before planting. 

When they have been soaked for long enough, they are ready to plant. Plant them in small pots that are filled with moist compost, you should only plant two seeds per pot. 

Keep your seedlings damp but remember not to over water them. 

When your seeds start to sprout, remove any weak contenders and focus on the ones with at least 3 leaves. At this point they are ready to be planted in bigger pots or outside. 

Feed:

Organic blood and bone fertiliser. 

Harvesting: 

When the fruit is ready and is a pink/red colour it is time to harvest the rhubarb by either cutting or pulling off the leaf stalks at soil level.

Recipes:

Rhubarb Gin, Rhubarb Crumble, Rhubarb, Chutney, Rhubarb Tatin, Rhubarb & Custard Pie, Roasted Rhubarb

Cucumber

How to grow:

Cucumbers sprout very quickly so it is easier to plant them into their permanent growing spot, this could be outside or inside. 

They should be planted 1 inch apart in moist fertile soil and can be planted anywhere from a full sun spot to the shade so it’s easy to find a place for them. 

Cucumbers are vine crops so it is best to grow them on a trellis to keep them off the ground as the cucumbers will grow straighter this way. 

Indoor trellis is also available to buy and can make a unique feature in your home. 

Recipes

Cucumber Salad, Pickled Cucumber, Tzatziki, Cucumber Infused Water. 

Harvest:

Cucumbers need a long growing season and are ready for harvest in 50 to 70 days. Harvesting ripe cucumbers at the right time ensures sweet fruits that have no bitterness. 

Runner Beans

How to grow:

Runner beans need a warm, sunny spot in well drained soil. You should start your beans off in small pots, planting only two seeds per pot. 

Once they reach 8cm in height they are ready to be planted in their permanent positions in your garden or home. 

Runner beans need a support to climb up, this can be achieved by providing each individual plant with a 8ft bamboo cane, these canes can be manipulated into ornamental features for your garden or home. 

Recipes:

Runner Bean Tortilla, Runner Bean Salad, Pasta Primavera, Green Mac & Cheese, Butter Fried Runner Beans. 

Feed

Well rotted manure is the best fertiliser for runner beans. 

Harvesting 

Start harvesting your runner beans when the pods are 15-20cm in length. Pick regularly to prevent any pods reaching maturity as after this stage the plant will stop flowering and will stop producing pods. If you pick them regular your plant will grow crops for up to eight weeks. 

Peppers

How to grow:

Start to grow them in small pots, planting three seeds per pot. To help them grow quicker they should be kept in warm conditions. 

Remove the weakest growing plant and allow the two remaining ones to grow together, pepper plants spend their entire lives together as one plant as more leaves mean more protection for their produce. 

Allow ten days before transplanting, at this point your should slowly introduce fertiliser to your garden soil to prepare it for the peppers. 

When planting outside they should be 18 to 24 inches apart. 

Recipes: 

Stuffed Peppers, Moroccan Vegetables, Lokanta Stew, Grilled Vegetables, Chicken Paprikash

Harvesting:

Harvest your peppers as soon as they reach a desired size. The longer the peppers stay on the plant, the sweeter they will be and the more vitamin C they will contain. Remember to use a sharp knife or scissors when harvesting to produce a clean cut that doesn’t damage the plant. Peppers will last for ten days in the fridge but can be frozen and used at a later date.