Search: More advice on growing your own vegetables
As the credit crunch starts to pinch the purse strings of average UK households, there's never been a better time to consider growing your own.Not only could it save you money but with no harsh industrial pesticides and just a little effort, it can be a fun and rewarding way to a healthier lifestyle.
A Few Tips
For those of you with the space but no idea where to begin, we've called on the experts at The Royal Horticultural Society to share a couple of their most treasured tips and techniques:- Plan carefully where you are going to sow, especially if you are following a rotation system. Ideally, the same vegetables should not be grown in the same place for at least three years and root crops, such as carrot and parsnip, dislike growing in freshly manured soil.
- Planting in containers is a versatile way of growing edible crops in the garden, and is particularly useful where space is restricted... Aim for containers with a depth and width of at least 45cm, otherwise frequent watering and feeding will be needed.
- Any open, sunny patch of ground can be turned into a productive vegetable plot. As long as the soil is warm and moist, seed can be sown and it will germinate quickly.
- Vegetable plots are traditionally sown and planted around Easter, which usually gives the soil a chance to dry out and warm up after winter, and the gardener to cultivate it.
- Growing-bags are a cheap and effective way of cultivating vegetables in the smallest of spaces - balconies, mini-glasshouses, patios, porches and even windowsills.
Share your experience
Have you already taken the plunge and started growing your own? If so, we'd love to know about your experiences to help others decide whether it's right for them.
Do you agree with the tips above?
What preparation did you find crucial?
How much money can it really save?
How much effort is honestly spent tending to your patch?
How long before you started to see edible results?
What are the simplest things to grow in our climate?
What's best grown in a very small patch?
