There is nothing more satisfying that growing your own fruits and vegetables, who wouldn’t be happy to have mint or parsley right at your fingertips or to be able to pop out and pick some tomatoes fresh from the vine? What about your own carrots, peppers or onions? Surely nothing could taste better or be fresher than food straight from your own garden? But where do you even start? Read on and we will give you some great hints and tips to grow your own food in your garden or an allotment.
Planning
For the most part, vegetables like sheltered sunny spots to grow in. Some salad leaves and herbs, according to Gardener’s world need shade though, so you will need to decide what you want to grow first and then decide where in your garden they will thrive. Products such as lettuce, asparagus and broccoli grow well in shaded areas and carrots for example will cope well with afternoon shade as will leeks. Cucumber, courgettes, potatoes and tomatoes love nothing more than lots and lots of sun.
It is important to know what soil type you have as well as not all foods grow in all soil types and there might be some work to do on the soil, such as adding drainage or mixing in compost to give the plants the best chance. For example, in light sandy soils digging in some well-rotted manure or compost will provide some foundations to hold moisture and nutrients. In heavy clay soil doing this will add drainage by breaking up the clumps of clay. For clay soil, digging in some sharp sand can also improve the structure.
If you’re really not sure what sort of soil you have, or don’t feel comfortable trying to modify your soil, then building raised beds in your garden and adding fresh soil and compost is a great option. This way you have total control over the growing environment. Simply ask at your local garden centre for some help and they will be more than happy to advise you.
Some of the easiest crops to grow are beetroot, radishes, peas, potatoes and tomatoes and gardeners world has a great guide on how to grow each of these crops in your own garden.
Herbs
When it comes to herbs, some can get pretty aggressive, like mint, so planting them in individual pots is often a good idea to prevent them spreading like wildfire. Herbs do like sunlight so put the pots in a sunny spot. To make life even easier, herbs can easily be grown indoors right in your kitchen if you have a sunny window spot. The most important thing to remember is that the herbs will need a drainage channel either from holes in the bottom of the pot or gravel to allow water somewhere to sit away from the roots. Simply plant the herbs in a good quality compost, put them in a pot with good drainage and then place by the sunny window and you will reap the rewards in no time.
Fruit
If you don’t have masses of space for large apple or pear trees, fear not there are still plenty of fruits that you can grow. Olive trees can be grown in pots and love sunny, warm spots. They are even drought tolerant so will be fine in the driest of conditions. Raspberries and Strawberries are both remarkably easy to grow either directly in the soil or in pots. For more guidance on growing your own fruit take a look at this very comprehensive guide from the RHS.
Growing your own crops is remarkably rewarding, extremely healthy, very sustainable and easy to do. So get your gardening gloves on and start the journey towards your very own kitchen garden.
