How to start a kitchen garden: Camilla Plum’s essential tips for beginners

Starting a kitchen garden doesn’t have to be overwhelming—focus on easy-to-grow plants and avoid common mistakes, advises Danish gardening expert Camilla Plum in a new interview with DR’s Signes Have podcast.

Plum, known for her TV shows Camilla – i haven and Camilla Plum – Mad der holder, warns beginners against unrealistic expectations fueled by “garden porn” on social media. “Just because someone in a linen dress scatters seeds effortlessly doesn’t mean it’s that simple,” she says. “Seeds need the right depth—too deep, and they won’t sprout.”

Start with simple crops
For first-time gardeners, Plum recommends beginner-friendly plants like dill, coriander, spinach, peas, rhubarb, and lettuce. “Lettuce gives quick success and plenty of harvest,” she notes. She also suggests new potatoes and strawberries: “Store-bought strawberries often taste like cold cucumber. Homegrown ones are juicy and sweet—and a plant can produce for four years.”

Avoid these common pitfalls
Coriander seeds must be sown on top of the soil and lightly pressed in, not buried. “Most seeds need light to germinate,” Plum explains. She advises skipping finicky plants like cabbage (“it demands constant care, fresh air, and heavy feeding”) and melons (“some plants are divas”).

Embrace imperfection
Plum encourages gardeners to relax control. “Plants that self-seed often thrive better—they’ve chosen their own spot,” she says. A little weeds (10–20%) can even benefit crops: “Plants communicate. They like company.” For example, interplanting dill and carrots can confuse carrot flies, protecting the roots.

The full interview is available on DR’s Signes Have podcast, where Plum joins host Signe Lindkvist to share practical advice for growing food at home.