Garden Runner Beans

• Position: full sun. Because of their height, they should not be grown in areas exposed to winds, they will easily be blown over.
• Soil: Prepare the bed in August (in the southern hemisphere) to allow the soil time to settle before planting. Do this by thoroughly digging to a spade and a half's depth, incorporating as much organic material as possible. Add a couple of handfuls of bonemeal per square metre. The aim is to produce a soil which is as water retentive as possible to a good depth.
• Sow the runner bean seeds a week before the last frost date.  Use a trowel to dig out a shallow drill 5cm deep. Where more than one row is being planted, each row should be 1.5m apart.  Runner bean seeds have a high germination rate of 85%, and for this reason should be sown thinly, one seed every 15cm, to be thinned out to a final spacing of one seedling every 30cm (1ft) about 3 weeks after sowing.
• After sowing, water the bed well if conditions are at all dry.
• Runner beans grow to about 1.8m high and they definitely need support.  The idea is to provide a structure which their tendrils can grow round and pull the plant up.

Tomatoes

Tomato Trivia: The tomato originated in the Andes, South America where they grow wild. They were first grown by the Aztecs and Incas as early as 700 AD.

• Position: Full sun.  Tomato plants grow very well in raised beds.
• Soil: two or three weeks before planting, dig the soil over and incorporate as much organic matter as possible.  The aim is to make the soil able to retain the moisture needed so much by tomatoes. Incorporating organic matter into the soil has the added benefit that it will help it warm up much quicker compared to dense soils which do not drain well.
• Sowing directly outside:  Tomatoes are unable to tolerate any degree of frost, the timing for planting/sowing outside is therefore key to successfully growing tomatoes. They must be sown when the soil temperature is (and will remain) above 10°C (50°F) - any lower and the seeds will not germinate. In practical terms this normally means 3 weeks after the last frost date in your area.
• Using a trowel, dig a shallow drill 2.5cm deep deep in the prepared bed.  Place two seeds every 20cm in the drill and cover the seeds to a depth of 2.5cm. Water well if the conditions are at all dry.
• The seedlings should emerge in about 10 days. When they are 5cm tall, thin to one plant every 45 to 60cm.
• Sowing inside:  This is one of the most common methods and produces good results. Sow each seed (two if you have a surplus) in a 7.5cm pot, lightly covering them with potting compost.  Ensure the compost is moist but not waterlogged. Place them in a warm (up to 27C) draught free place - the seedlings should emerge in 7 to 10 days time.
• Immediately when this happens, move the plants to a light position (a light windowsill is ideal), but out of direct sunlight to avoid burning the leaves. Try and position the plants so that they avoid large changes in temperature. This most commonly happens when the curtains are drawn at night, leaving plants in a quickly cooling area.
• Where more than one seed has been sown per pot, thin out the least healthy seedling as soon as they are large enough to handle.
• When the roots start to come through the base of the pot (about 4 weeks after sowing), transfer the plants to larger 12.5cm pots.
• The plants will be large enough to transplant outside about 7 weeks after sowing the seed.
• When to harvest: pick as soon as the fruits are ripe (colour and size will identify this) for the best flavour - eat as soon as possible. This also encourages the production of more fruit.

Swiss Chard

Swiss Chard is probably the most under appreciated of all vegetables. It is vitamin rich and nutritious, and is extremely easy to grow. A prolific grower, Swiss Chard tolerates poor soil, inattention, and withstands frost and mild freezes. Swiss chard tastes good and you can eat both the stalk and the leaves. The leaves can be used as a fresh salad or cooked like spinach. The stalks are cut up and cooked in a variety of dishes.

• Position:  Sun
• Plant Swiss Chard in spring. It will sprout fairly early, and will not be harmed by spring frosts. One planting will last the entire year. Plan a permanent place for it.
• Outdoors, sow seeds 2.5cm apart, in rows 60cm apart. Thin seedlings to two to three inches apart. Swiss chard is quite tolerant to crowding, so don't worry if they appear too close.
• If you are just growing it for your home garden, a four to six foot row is more than enough for a whole family.
• To minimize the bitter mid-summer taste, make sure the plants get plenty of water. When you water the rest of the garden, don't forget the chard.
• Let the outer leaves grow as big as you want. If you can't eat it as fast as it is producing, cut and discard leaves as they begin to wilt, turn brown or be damaged by insects.
• If the patch gets out of hand, do major surgery on the leaves. The inner leaves will take their place quickly.
• Here's the best thing about Swiss Chard. As the weather cools, the leaves are their tastiest.