Growing Vegetables in Spain

Spains climate lends itself perfectly to cultivating and harvesting a wide range of vegetables irrespective of the availability of land or space.

You have to decide when embarking on growing vegetables in Spain where, when and how you intend to make the most of your vegetable gardening time and effort. You can either decide to cultivate a wide range of vegetablesi.e. those that would normally feed your family, or you can decide to cultivate a few more specific vegetables.

Once you have decided where to cultivate your vegetables there are a few simple rules that you need to consider in order to optimise the best use of the temperate Spanish climate.

1. It is essential to correctly prepare your soil with the addition of compost and natural manure.

2. Choose vegetables that you enjoy eating rather than those you are not familiar with.

3. Your first attempts should be made during the cooler spring and autumn periods as opposed to the warm summer period.

4. Rather than attempting to grow from seed, your initial endeavours should be carried out with sededlings which are widely available in most Spanish garden centers and stores.

5. Manage your expectations properly and do not attempt to grow overly large specimens. Try to grow normally sized crops that are packed with nutrients and flavour.

6. Choose the correct tools for the job. Many of the tools that you would normally use in UK gardens will prove in-effective in the hard dry spanish soils.

7. There is a tendency to overwater in such a warm climate. Ensure your soil is constantly damp rather than flooded. This will avoid cultivation of water filled, nutrient and flavour poor crops.

The following vegetables should be sown from seedling during Autumn: lettuces, broccoli, onions, leeks, chives, Swiss chard, spinach, globe artichokes, cabbages, cauliflowers.

The following vegetables should be sown from seedling during Winter: leeks, onions, broad beans, Swiss chard, garlic.

The following vegetables should be sown from seed during Autumn: carrots, radishes, lettuces, rocket, parsnips, beetroots, seed potatoes, garlic corms.

The following vegetables should be sown from seed during Winter: peas, broad beans.

Finally and most importantly growing your own vegetables can be a very satisfying experience, especially when you first sit down at the table and enjoy a meal that includes the 'fruits' of your labour.

There is a sense of pride from and achievement from the rewards of your hard work.

Growing Strawberries

These low growing herbaceous plants are grown for their delicious red, occasionally yellow fruits. Strawberries, which grow to 45cm (18in) high and 60cm (24in) across, will tolerate most soils that are well-drained. They are relatively short lived with a cropping life of about three years, so new plants should be planted on a regular basis.

The second year is the most productive.

Planting: Plant in early autumn at a distance of 45cm (18in) apart and 75cm (30in) between the rows. Plant on a very slight mound with crowns at ground level. The plants must be firmed well and watered.

Cultivation: Newly planted strawberries have a shallow root system and must be kept watered until well established. As the fruits develop, they will hang down onto the soil, so a mulch of straw will prevent them from marking and rotting; black plastic can also be used as an alternative, but fruits actually touching it may become scorched in hot weather.

Pruning: Cut off any runners (modified side shoots) bearing new young plants in Summer. Cut down the foliage to approximately 10 cm (4in) above soil level in the autumn, after picking has finished.

Harvesting: Harvesting begins in early summer for early fruiting cultivars, and continues through to autumn for perpetual-fruiting types (see below). Pick the berries complete with their stalks, when they are red over about three-quarters of their surface and handle them as little as possible, as they are easily bruised. Pick fruits every other day, as they deteriorate fast. Fruits intended for freezing and preserving can be picked slightly earlier than those destined for dessert.

Strawberry Tips:
Strawberries are divided into three distinct groups

• Alpine Strawberries - produce a light crop of small, delicately flavoured fruits. Reliable, cultivars include 'Alpine Yellow'


• Perpetual Strawberries - flower and fruit in mid-summer and again in mid-autumn. Reliable cultivars include 'Gento'


• Summer-fruiting Strawberries - produce a heavy crop over a three or four week period in the summer. The season can be extended by selecting cultivars carefully: 'Elvira' fruits early 'Cambridge' Favourite in mid-season and 'Domanil' late