Common gardening mistakes Brits make that can ruin your veg garden

Heatwave temperatures are hitting the UK this week with gardens set to be soaked in sun. If you're lucky enough to own some outdoor space then you might want to make note.

Topping social media trends, the hashtag "#DIYVegetableGarden" boasts an impressive 84.1 million views on TikTok alone. Yell's experts have put in the graft for us by sifting through TikTok's hottest gardening tips on prepping and cultivating your own veg patch.

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Start small

Should you fancy setting up a veggie plot in your backyard, the expanse you can utilise largely depends on the room at your disposal. Although some may harbour ambitious visions for their vegetable gardens, new gardeners are best off starting modestly.

A solid tip is adhering to the one-metre rule - a nifty method allowing for a range of veggies and herbs to thrive within just one metre. Disregarding the sowing instructions might actually work in your favour; numerous vegetables can flourish quite snugly side by side, enabling you to make the most of limited space.

As straightforward as it may seem, botching this approach might hurt your greens and stifle not only their growth but also their quality. Get it wrong, and you're looking at stunted crops and heightened disease risks - mildew and botrytis, to name a couple - potentially devastating to your endeavours.

Flat board spacing

A clever trick currently trending on TikTok is the carrot board. With a 103 per cent surge in search demand for 'plant spacing tips' over the past month, it's clear that the success of your vegetable patch largely depends on how you arrange your crops.

Utilising a flat wooden board with evenly spaced rows is an excellent method to ensure your vegetables grow properly.

This viral TikTok tip involves attaching bottle caps, top side down, approximately two to three inches apart in a single row on a twelve-inch wide flat board.

This technique proves particularly beneficial when growing carrots, which should be planted in rows 12 inches apart. However, for some varieties, you might be able to plant the rows closer together.

Use household items for soil testing

The quality of your soil can significantly impact the success of your vegetable plot. One of the most popular TikTok hacks for vegetable gardening involves testing your soil type.

With over 391,100 views under the hashtag #SoilTesting, preparing your soil is crucial. The testing checklist includes assessing the type, pH, and nutrient composition before planting. While you can buy a soil testing kit, there are also DIY options.

To inexpensively check soil pH, mix some of your soil with vinegar - if it bubbles, the soil is alkaline. If you mix it with baking soda and it bubbles, the soil is acidic. No reaction indicates neutral soil.

Grow vertically

When deciding what to cultivate in your garden, initiating with climbing or vining plants such as beans, cucumbers, and tomatoes is a straightforward way to guarantee success.

To kickstart the growth of climbing vegetables, you can construct simple trellises using pruned branches from your garden or bamboo canes, bound together with twine. You can then position some old buckets or other repurposed containers at the base to nurture your plants.

In particularly compact spaces, especially if adhering to the one-metre rule, you can even utilise old plastic drink bottles to create planting towers. These can have holes in the sides for growing strawberries, lettuce, herbs and other edible plants.

Easy-to-grow veggies

The most thrilling part of your vegetable garden is selecting which crops you wish to cultivate. For novices, beginning with the easiest vegetables to grow will enhance your chances of success on your first attempt.

Opt for low-maintenance vegetables that require minimal effort to grow and seeds that can be swiftly and easily planted. TikTok's favourite easy-to-grow vegetables include:.