For keen gardeners, the arrival of sunshine provides the perfect opportunity to transform your outdoor space. If you are looking to take things further by growing your own produce, now is the ideal moment to get started. Seeds are incredibly affordable and readily available, making now the perfect time to embrace self-sufficiency and enjoy fresh, homegrown food straight from your plot. While flowers are lovely to look at, there is so much more you can cultivate in your garden.
Expert Advice on Productive Crops
Organic 'no dig' grower Nettles and Petals has revealed several crops you can easily plant now that will deliver abundant harvests. If healthier eating remains on your agenda for 2026, these seeds could prove invaluable and incredibly rewarding.
Cucumbers
He explained: "I sow seeds on their side into a pot or a deep tray and use seed compost with really good drainage as they are heat-loving plants. They germinate best at temperatures around 21 degrees, and once they have three true leaves and after the last chance of frost has passed, they are ready to be planted out. Just give them something to climb. Prune away side shoots as they grow, and keep harvesting."
According to Healthline, cucumbers are low-calorie, nutrient-packed fruits made up of 96% water, making them brilliant for staying hydrated, managing weight, and promoting digestive health. They are packed with antioxidants (flavonoids and tannins), vitamins K and C, plus potassium, all of which benefit heart health, strengthen bones, and keep skin hydrated.
Mixed Lettuce
The gardener noted that mixed lettuce is "expensive to buy" so growing your own is absolutely the way to go. He insisted it is "really easy to grow from seed," explaining he sows them into a seed tray until they are ready to be planted out. He then keeps them "in the ground for around 10 weeks, harvesting three to five leaves per week, which is a lot of lettuce."
Courgettes
He revealed he cultivates courgettes in much the same manner as cucumbers, adding that courgettes are "probably easier," with "so many more varieties to choose from than you can buy in a shop." "Once you plant them out, you will have more courgettes than you know what to do with," he quipped.
Chard
The green-fingered gardener described chard as one of his "garden staples," noting that once you begin growing it yourself, you will appreciate "just how overpriced it is to buy." He added they are "versatile, easy to grow, and a plant can keep producing leaves for almost the entire season."
Sweetcorn
Sweetcorn "germinate quickly and before you know it you will have young plants ready to go." He plants them out following the last frost risk, adding beans underneath, which "climb the corn, providing another crop in the same space." Once they reach maturity, he harvests and savours the fruits of his labour.
In the comments section, one user shared: "I have got tomatoes (with marigolds in the pots), chilis and lettuce in my cold frame at the moment, I am getting my beans, sweetcorn and pumpkins in this weekend. And I have been succession planting nasturtiums for about a month. I love nasturtiums so much."
