What to grow

I've done a bit of experimenting over the last couple of years and refined what is best for me to grow with the space I have, but of course the 'best' crops are the ones that suit you best - no point growing a mass of french beans if you're not a big fan of eating them (at peak season we resort to having frequent dinners of a big plate of steamed beans with a fried egg on top just to get through them!) Some things to consider though:

1 - What you love to eat - home grown stuff always more delicious than shop bought, so I think best to simply grow the fruit and veg you love and enjoy eating.

2 - Yield for the space you're using. I've grown pumpkins a couple of times, but as much as I love pumpkin, it's just not worth allocating a whole container for a whole season to get one of two tiddlers... I've ruled out peppers this year for the same reason.

3 - How the plants look. If you treasure your tiny outdoor space, you probably don't want it to be overrun with loads of ugly plants, even if they do yield some tasty produce. But of course it's a balance; courgettes can be pretty ugly, but I forgive that because they are good croppers, don't need too much space and always give a yummy yield.

So, my top ten, and the stuff I'll be growing this year (I'll try to do a separate post on each):

1 - Beans (French beans and runners)

2 - Cherry tomatoes

3 - Salad stuff

4 - Sugar snap peas

5 - Courgettes

6 - Strawberries

7 - Carrots

8 - Peaches

9 - Herbs

10 - Chillies