Back in the first week of March we planted all our seeds for the year. We’ve got potatoes, tomatoes, fennel, radishes, rocket, coriander, oregano, basil and of course chilli plants.

Unfortunately next door’s cat kept digging up our green beans and pooping in the soil, grrr! So no beans this year. The cat has also attempted to destroy the fennel but I managed to save three seedlings from it’s grubby horrible paws.

The potatoes have LOVED the weather and grew like mad. Question is… how many potatoes will we get and will they be any good?

I planted these about 2 weeks ago or so from a chilli bought from a supermarket. Hopefully I’ll get a few nice strong seedlings to concentrate on.

I’ve also recently planted some coriander and basil but nothing has sprouted yet.

Growing your own food is a fantastic way to save money. Not only is it relatively easy but there’s a great deal of satisfaction watching it grow and eventually being able to cook and eat your own produce.

My garden (I should really say ‘patio area’) is pathetic for growing vegetables so I’ve decided to grow my own herbs, rocket leaves and, of course, chilli peppers in window boxes.

A good chilli plant needs plenty of natural sunlight; not a common occurance in the UK but they somehow grew well over this year’s terrible Summer. Make sure the plant gets enough water but don’t drown it! Get a pot with good drainage; if plant roots are left to sit in large amounts of water they may eventually rot away (yellow leaves is a good sign of this).

Different varieties take different amounts of time to germinate, flower then fruit. As a general rule if you plant the seeds around March time you should have edible chilli peppers by August at the latest.

Read my simple guide to growing chillis for more info.