Novice gardeners look for easy fruit and veg to grow

This is according to editor of Amateur Gardening Tim Rumball, who believes novices need to start with potatoes, salad leaves and rhubarb, as all of these require little attention.

He noted that growing salad leaves is worthwhile, as they only take six weeks to sprout and they can be a delicious ingredient in a posh homemade dish.

“One of the easiest things is salad leaves – that is why everyone promotes them. They are very reliable, very easy and you can grow them in a big pot,” Mr Rumball remarked.

The expert also added that potatoes are proving popular due to the vast diversity of flavours and textures available.

A recent study by Santander Insurance showed that vegetable patches are among the latest “must have” garden items, with 28 per cent of survey respondents claiming to own one