How to Grow Your Own Vegetable Garden – The Easy Way!

• Grow seasonal fruit and vegetables in your own garden
• Create a kitchen garden with planters and pots on your patio
• Choose easy-grow fruit and vegetables for quick rewards
• Plant vegetables alongside pretty flowers for a practical and attractive kitchen garden

Seasonal fruit and veg... We are all aware of the term, but with so much available to us all year round, we don’t really pay too much attention as to what is a summer fruit or a winter veg. It’s just fruit and veg, ready and waiting for us to pick up at the supermarket and use in any recipe we choose whenever we feel like it.

Whilst it is great having everything and anything at our disposal 24/7 365 days a year, there is something particularly lovely about biting into the first deliciously juicy strawberry of the season. It’s a sign that summer is here and gives glorious connotations of alfresco eating and picnics which go hand in hand with the sunshine months.

You get what you pay for

Organic produce has been around for a while, and has proved to be more than a passing trend. We are tasting the benefits of pesticide-free produce and really noticing the difference between mass farmed and organic. Unfortunately, we are also noticing the difference in price between the two types of farming, and unsurprisingly, it appears that we have very expensive tastes.

As a result, more and more of us are steering towards a Good Life existence (ok, maybe not going as far as the livestock element!) and growing our own fruit and veg. Not only is it incredibly cost effective, but it is also very rewarding to be able to pick your own home grown produce and bring it from earth to table within a matter of minutes. It is also a great project for kids to get involved in, and there is no better encouragement to get them eating fruit and veg than to watch it transform from a seed into their dinner.

Start small…

If you like the idea of having your own plot, but don’t know where to start, don’t be put off from trying. Even the most experienced gardener has a few dud crops, and naturally, certain types of fruit and veg will be suited better to particular types of soil, light and conditions that you can’t always control.

Absolute beginners may want to start with a simple herb garden or strawberry patch. You can start with large planters and pots if you prefer, these can be slightly more controllable in terms of the compost you use and you can also position them in the best light. This will also reduce the need for weeding, and their elevated position will protect them a little more from garden pests. It is also slightly less of a commitment than digging up a section of your garden if you aren’t sure whether you are going to enjoy your new green fingered project.

It may sound an obvious point, but remember that plants in pots will need regular watering as the soil will dry out much quicker than those in the ground.

… and watch it grow

Once you have experienced just how easy, and not to mention rewarding, it is to grow your own, it’s time to be brave and prepare a ‘real’ plot in your garden.

Start with a corner the gets good light and isn’t too exposed to high winds and frost. By working from a corner, you can expand or contain your plot depending on how much you enjoy it and how much time you can spare to maintain it. Before planting, you will need to really dig over the plot to remove all the weeds from the root. Prepare the soil by digging through some fertilizer to ensure that the soil is nourished to its full potential. Then, it’s time to have some fun!
 

It’s all a matter of taste

Choose your vegetables according to your tastes and also to the time of year.

May time is a great time to start with your patch, and vegetables such as runner beans and sugar snap peas are easy crops to start with. You can plant from seed or buy some ready started crops from your garden center to give yourself a bit of a head start. Invest in some garden canes as you will soon find that the beans and peas are heading for the sky! Every garden is different and clearly some crops thrive better in particular conditions. Speak to the staff at your local garden centre as they will be more than willing to advise you on the best type of crops to suit your garden conditions.

Time to reap what you sow

Aside from the obvious benefit of being able to eat the results of your efforts (and save a fortune in the process), you will also have a lovely patch of garden to look at.

Runner beans in particular can be really pretty with bright red and white flowers growing between the beans. It is also an idea to plant sweet peas between the crops as they too will make your patch look picture perfect, and as an added bonus, they create a lovely scent.

There is nothing nicer at the end of a sunny day to throw open the doors and sit outside admiring the view. And, if you are feeling peckish, go and pinch yourself a strawberry or sugar snap, after all, they are yours for the picking.