We all know that vegetables are good for us, but if you need some reasons to try growing your own rather than just buying them, then read on!
Firstly, anything you eat will be fresher, more nutritious and can be grown organically and pesticide free.
You also will gain a sense of achievement and pleasure from knowing you are eating food that has only travelled the length of your garden. There are another reasons too.
Most of the UK’s homegrown vegetables come from the Fen region of East Anglia. Here the fertile peat soil has been exploited to the extent where it is drying out and blowing away.
As the fens sit below sea level, it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep out the sea, as levels rise due to climate change.
Large quantities of CO2 are also emitted from arable peat soils each year.
That still leaves approximately half our vegetables arriving from abroad which is bad for food security.
Worse, some are even air-freighted here from places like Kenya and Peru. How crazy is that?
So, how to get started. If you have any large plant pots or plastic boxes with drainage holes, fill them with soil or compost and plant them up with things that easily grow like strawberries, courgettes or potatoes.
Strawberry plants are cheap and last several years. Courgettes grow from seed on a windowsill.
Any sprouted potato will grow, just plant it near the bottom of your pot and add more soil as it grows.
Next prepare an area of your garden about the size of a single bed (2x1 metres). It needs sun at least some of the day.
You need fertile soil, so use compost, well rotted manure or soil conditioner. As the saying goes, feed the soil it will feed you.
Start by sowing short rows of salad crops (radish, little gem lettuce, rocket and beetroot), perpetual spinach and chard. As the lettuce grows you can thin it out.
Weeding can be a chore but doing a little each day keeps them at bay.
At the same time, sow dwarf French bean and leek seeds in a pot on a windowsill.
This ensures they are ready to plant when some of your salad crops finish. The perpetual spinach will be available all summer and may even sprout again next spring.
Remember to water everything in dry weather. When seedlings are emerging look out for slug damage.
Organic slug bait is available, or a pot of beer can be effective at catching slugs.
Avoiding pesticides means that home grown produce may contain snails, earwigs or caterpillars, so check well when picking to avoid any added protein.
Before eating, rinse well in salty water and then enjoy the great taste of your harvest!
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