Novice gardener wanting to grow a few veg - where to start?

[Highlove]

I've posted this in food, then realised there's an actual gardening board!

So, just as the title says really. I've got a reasonably good sized garden. But don't have loads of time. I want something easy that doesn't need much maintenance. And ideally, as she gets a bit older, I'd like my toddler to get involved filthy or at least recognise that veg doesn't just come from Tesco. I've got a few herbs going but U.S. like to expand that to a few actual vegetables.

What should I start with? Any tips?

Start with what you like to eat.

I grow a few pea plats as fresh peas eaten straight out the pod are lovely, not shelling vast rows of peas to put in the freezer is a little pointless...

I love broad beans, you can put them in now to overwinter ready for the spring, and like them enough to happily spend ghalf an hour shelling them.

Freshly dug new potatoes are lovely, and it's great digging them up, my 45 y o DH was quite excited by that, who'd have thought?

Spinach and chard are easy, as are mixed salad leaves and courgettes, all sorts of different colours. Beetroot and carrots are easy too, and some radish as they are so quick. Garlic also very easy and you can plant that now too.

Once you get into broccoli, I love purple sprouting, you have to probably net them to get a decent crop.

I grow a lot of fruit, black currant, raspberries and strawberries, as they are really low maintenance. Plant them all in the same space as you might want to put a fruit cage up if you really get into it and have stealing birds...

There's a grow you own website and an allotment one that is really good.

Not yet mentioned - and the easiest and most prolific of all, we find - is courgettes.

They spread out a lot, and need plenty of room; ours have been fruiting for months.

right now, before pen to paper and getting seed lists etc, get either green manure seeds sown and growing or horse manure on the are while you come up with ideas

if new to it dont try to much a few easy crops with good results will keep your spirits up much more than a complex range of crops with a small or no harvest at the end of it.

What soil do you have? Where (just very roughly) in the country are you? What way does your veg plot face?

I'm not just being nosy - all these things will determine what is 'easy' for you to grow. In a cooler, north-facing, northerly garden on clay, brassicas may do better than sweetcorn, for instance!

I think it's a lovely idea to grow with your toddler- I will try to think of things that are fun for you both! Why not join us on the allotment/veg patch thread - there are a lot of people who grow with their children on there, who will be full of advice and tips. (Rooting up potatoes seems to be a hit with the young uns!)

We've graduated to an allotment but before that we grew peas and carrots in a small patch in the back garden. We've also grown cabbages and squashes. Tomatoes are also good because small children can see them ripening. Although you might find yourself going 'mind my plants' all summer long.

A couple of potato plants are also good because children love to look for them. But be warned that gardening with a toddler might mean they try and pull up everything at once regardless of whether it's ready. So if you have room do a bit that's for them and where you won't mind too much if they harvest all the carrots in one go.

Strawberries, raspberries and loganberries are all quite good value and don't take too much looking after.

And yes, do join us on the allotment, veg growing thread.