“It’s not a tuber!” shouted Arnold Schwarzenegger in the perennial classic Kindergarten Cop. At least that’s what we heard. Potatoes, on the other hand, are tubers. As are sweet potatoes - not related to the potato if you can believe it - as well as yams. But we digress. Potatoes are tubers, they are delicious and they provide consistently high yields for consistently neglectful gardeners.
Garlic has been placed upon a mantle and worshiped for thousands of years. Civilisations have been built upon this cultural building block, including the pyramids and Nonna’s lasagne. There is evidence to suggest that pharaohs were buried with garlic in their tombs. Gladiators ate garlic prior to battle to give them strength, or perhaps it warded off their enemies with their breath. Aristotle even labelled it an aphrodisiac. In today’s veggie garden growers test their patience for the ultimate patch prize.
Propagation is a great way to get a head start, before the season raises its gun and everything is off to a flying start, however in this race there are no false starts. It means plants can put up their feet, wear their comfy clothes and grow in the comfort of the great indoors or in a greenhouse. If getting a seed tray somehow landed at the bottom of your to-do list, don’t worry you won’t be caught with your pants down. These toilet roll planters are easy to make, they divide plants into seperate cells, and can be planted straight into the ground… win, win, win!
Unless your toilet paper habits are akin to Uncle John’s strict law for using the septic system, “one for wiping, one for polishing,” you will most likely have some toilet rolls at your disposal. They are much better off in your gardening hands, than off to the recycle bin. Poo-ticket propagation ticks all the right boxes and bowls. You’re re-using, you’re cleansing your conscience and hopefully your bathroom, and you’re saying goodbye to plastic seedling trays.
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Sometimes the advice you are given can be a little outdated, or it can be qualified in a certain way. For example, like telling someone that to grow asparagus you need a lot of space and time. In a way it's true - particularly if you're looking to maximise yields - but that doesn't mean that you can't grow it if you possess neither.
The truth is that with little space (even a medium/large pot will do) and in little time (in a matter of a month if grown from a mature crown) you can get your first home grown spear of asparagus. And just one is totally worth it!
Try these 10 bullet-proof plants for a little veggie patch confidence.
