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A WELL-KEPT vegetable garden will also improve the market value and 'sell-ability' of your property when the time comes to reap the benefits of your investment. With so much emphasis on living a healthy lifestyle and eating correctly - there is no doubt that vegetable gardening is back in fashion. Growing your own vegetables can be a lot of fun and the perfect distraction from your daily stresses. With careful planning, you could be eating veggies harvested from your own garden, full of fresh flavour and nutritional value.

Begin by choosing the right location in your garden, the sunniest spot you can find. All vegetables grow in full sunlight. Your lettuce will need some afternoon shade. Decide what vegetables your want to grow according to your family?s needs. You may decide only to grow the basics needed for a good salad or butternut for your favourite winter soup. Letting the kids help with the vegetable garden, may encourage them to eat better.

Plan the layout of your garden using string and pegs - keep it simple.

Getting the soil right before you start will make all the difference in the long run. Use lots of organic matter, such as garden and kitchen waste - let it sit for a few days to enrich the soil.

Cover the soil with good healthy topsoil and add a little 2:3:2.

Growing your vegetables in raised beds will ensure better drainage. You can use bricks, decorative stones or even railway sleepers to enclose your beds. Make sure your beds are accessible from all sides.

With a little thought and careful planning, you will be able to plant nine to ten rows of different vegetables in a two metre long bed.

You could plant a formal garden or randomly throw your veggies in with existing flowers for a relaxed cottage look.

If space is a problem - grow your vegetables in pots and containers on your patio.

Combine complimentary herbs with your vegetables for a real kitchen garden.

The key word here is nutrition - do not spray any poisons or pesticides on your garden

What to plant
Crops can be rotated according to various sowing and planting times - this way you should get a regular supply of vegetables over a longer period.

Tomatoes are easy to grow but they can overwhelm your garden bed. Use a trellis to train them up or plant them in pots. Some varieties, like small cherry tomatoes, are more suited to pots. Best time to plant tomatoes is in January and February or again from August onwards.

To grow onions you will need patience, as they will take 4 to 6 months to reach maturity. Best time to plant them would be January, February, March then again from August.

Butternut grows well in any type of soil but will require a fair amount of water. Be careful not to over water. Sow seeds between September and December.

Broad beans do not like extreme heat so plant from March to May. Broad beans contain large amounts of vitamins, minerals and protein - great nutritional value for the family.

Cucumbers can take up a lot of space, but planting only one or two seeds will ensure sufficient supply for your summer salads. Plant from August until January.

Lettuce will need some afternoon shade. Planting times are from January to May and then again from August to December.

August is the ideal time to plant Oriental vegetables - giving you all the fresh ingredients you will need for stir-fries, steamed greens, salads and soups.

Hot Pots
The chilli pepper is one of the world?s most ancient spices, with a reputation for culinary firepower that dates back some 9 000 years. Today there are approximately 400 different varieties been cultivated.

Chillies are easy to grow and will do best in warm conditions.

They will grow very well in containers. Pots should not be smaller than 20cm in diameter and bigger is better.

Your chillies will need a lot of water, if they wilt they will drop their flowers and that means no fruit. Water once daily and twice in really hot conditions.

The general rule is that the smaller, narrower and darker the chilli, the greater its pungency. The tip of the chilli is its mildest point, so if you want to test a chilli for hotness, cut the tip and taste it cautiously.

Beginners should start with a milder variety like Jalapeno - it will produce a tangy, glowing, rather than a burning sensation in your mouth. (Debbie Askham - property24)

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