Charlie Dimmock shares her tips on reducing the air miles your food travels and creating your very own vegetable and herb garden, regardless of how small your outdoor space is. And don’t forget, growing your own food can be great fun too!
Get tooled up
Growing your own doesn’t mean you need to splash out on a lot of new equipment. You can get started with a spade or a folk or trowel and a good pair of gloves. If you don’t have anything at all, rather than buying brand new try checking out the second hand market. Not only is this a form of recycling but you’ll often find a bargain and sometimes come across a tool that’s a real gem. Most vegetables are grown from seed and I’d recommend doing this yourself - find full instructions on the side of the packet!! It saves money as buying plants at a garden centre is expensive and you’ll have a much wider choice of veg.
Choose and choose well
It’s worth choosing vegetables that take up a minimal amount of space and are relatively easy to look after. Relatively easy vegetables to grow include lettuces, beans, courgettes, radishes, carrots and tomatoes. As a beginner avoid celery, asparagus, cucumber and cauliflower which can be quite temperamental and difficult to look after.
Potatoes are also really easy to grow and great for cleaning up an area as they get rid of perennial weeds and break up the soil. If you have limited space they can be grown in containers, especially fun for children to plant and maintain. If you’re starting out it’s worth keeping things simple to begin with, don’t go mad - restrict yourself to one or two varieties and of course, grow food that you’re actually going to eat!
Size doesn’t matter
It's a misconception that you need a huge garden in order to cultivate your own veg. With some clever planning, you can create a growing space in even the smallest of gardens or balconies. One way is to define a clear area where you can do this - wooden boards embedded into the soil can be a great way in a back yard, making sure you’ve got enough room to reach each corner of the planting area. Alternatively, you can grow vegetables and flowers together in a flower border, raised bed or container which is not only a great space saving solution but will look really pretty too. Look for timber containers to give a natural look and protect with a good quality wood stain or preserver [such as Ronseal Multi Purpose Wood Preserver].
Window boxes
If you’re really stuck for space, then consider window boxes. These are a fantastic way to grow herbs, such as basil, chives and rosemary, cut and come again salad leaves and even chilli plants. But what’s important here is to make sure they’re not too exposed, as strong winds or rain can damage them.
Because window boxes tend to be long and narrow, many gardeners choose a single subject and plant them in a row. This is a great way to create a contemporary look but may also like to consider planting plants that are disparate, in terms of size, texture and layout, in a staggered, zig zag pattern as this looks really attractive and keeps it looking more informal.
Go organic
One of the advantages of growing your own vegetables is that you can avoid eating produce that has been grown using chemicals or pesticides. Compost will feed and condition the soil which is great for your plants and the environment - not only does garden compost recycle your garden and kitchen waste but around 40 per cent of the average dustbin contents are suitable for home-composting so it helps cut down on landfill too.
Once you’ve invested in a compost bin, all you need to do is find the right spot. Ideally, compost bins should be placed directly onto soil, in a reasonably sunny spot. If you only have a concrete, tarmac or patio area, just make sure that there is a layer of compost or paper and twigs at the bottom to prevent leakage. But don’t compost on decked areas as it may stain the wood. Compost bins aren’t hugely attractive so if you do have the space you may want to put it out of site or screen in off with trellising. Just make sure you avoid cold or shady spots as lack of sunlight will slow the composting process.
Next fill with your organic waste from vegetable and fruit peelings to teabags, toilet roll tubes, cereal boxes and eggshells. Make sure that whatever waste you add is well mixed through. It takes between nine and 12 months for compost to be ready to use, but keep adding to it with fresh waste throughout this time. Once it has turned into a crumbly, dark material, resembling thick, moist soil and gives off an earthy, fresh aroma, you’ll know it’s ready to use!
For more information visit www.ronseal.co.uk or www.WoodlandTrust.org.uk/Ronseal.
