An expert has revealed the ultimate 'gardening hack' for growing your own vegetables, and it’s easier than you think it might be. For a whole host of reasons ranging from the cost of living crisis to those looking to pick up a new hobby, gardening has seen an increase in popularity over the last couple of years.
With households across the UK aspiring to be more sustainable while saving a few quid here and there, many are attempting to grow their own produce.
You don’t need to be blessed with a green thumb to try your hand at growing your own fruit and veg as one gardening expert has shared a super easy way to grow some of your supermarket favourites in your own yard.
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Without needing to buy a tonne of tools, gardener Siimon Akeroyd says sweet potatoes are an easy veg to grow.
In a video posted to his Instagram account @simonakeroydgardenwriter, the expert revealed how you can grow the spud - but you need to buy two to begin with. He says: “I grow mine outside in lovely, warm #Devon on the #EnglishRiviera but in cooler areas you may need to grow in a conservatory or greenhouse or just cover with a fleece on cooler evenings.”
Simon begins by half-filling a container that has holes at the bottom of it - like one you can recycle from your supermarket shop - with peat-free compost.
He then rinses two sweet potatoes before pushing them in to the soil and leave on a sunny windowsill. Soon shoots, also known as splits, will appear.
Leave until the slips are 10cm (4 inches) high then carefully remove the sweet potato slips and pop them into some water for two weeks.
By then some decent roots will have formed. You will plant each sweet potato slip into a container or directly into the ground. You will then leave it on a sunny patio or conservatory where it will have access to direct sunlight.
Each slip should provide between four and six sweet potatoes which gardening experts Thompson and Morgan say should take about 12 to 16 weeks before they’re ready to harvest.
In another video he does advise that they need a long growing season so it’s best get them started as soon as possible. He says: “Sweet potatoes are slightly tender so you may need to protect them from frost in early spring / late autumn.
“Sweet potatoes can be grown directlly in the ground or in containers if you are short of space.”
With over 356,000 views, dozens thanked Simon for his brilliant tips while others joked the hardest thing about growing vegetables will be finding a sunny windowsill in the UK.
The expert gardner also shows beginners how to grow produce from other supermarket fruit and vegetables such as carrots, apples and tomatoes. He also uses his page to share other tips and tricks.
