There is nothing quite like having a dinner that is made up from all of the seasonal produce that you have been growing over the year. Believe it or not, your dream to grow your own food might be closer han you think. Getting started is way easier than you may think, and if you use these 6 easy tips then you’ll soon find that it is easier than ever for you to start growing your own food.
Get Started: Grow Your Own Food
Find The Right Spot
You do not need to rent out a plot of land in order to grow your own food. In fact, it is very easy for you to split off an area in your garden or by installing some raised beds. You can go even smaller than this if you want by picking up some containers from your local garden centre.
Plan Ahead
A lot of fruits and vegetables have somewhat of a natural season. There is a time when the harvest will be its most ripe. What this ultimately means for you is that there is a good time for you to be planting it. Do your bit to secure a diary or a calendar so you can plan out when you want to be planting and when you should be harvesting. If you can do this, then you will soon find that it is easier to keep track of all the things you need to do.
Mix Things Up
Even if you know that your vegetable garden is quite small, or if you know that you only have a couple of containers to work with, then you need to try and make sure that you vary whatever it is you intend to plant. Your first lot of crops will be super exciting, but you can add to the excitement even more by simply mixing up what you plant a few months later. This will help you to stay enthused and you may even find that you end up learning way more too.
Know The Soil You Are Working With
One test will give you a good idea of the soil you are working with. Your soil may either be loam, sand, or clay. This will help you to establish if you need to prepare the soil before you begin sowing whatever it is you have. Carrots and onions will do very well in clay soil, but with strawberries, you may need a raised container with some topsoil.
Enrich Your Soil
If you are using compost then this is great, but make sure that you are adding a very generous layer before you plant as well. It is very easy for you to nourish your plants if you do this, and you will soon find that you can get the best result out of your growing experience too. Want to make your garden a little lower maintenance? Go over some of your beds with some grass seed so you can limit your planting space so you don’t get overwhelmed. You can hire a lawn installation company if you want to make things even less time-consuming.
Be Mindful Of Sowing
The best thing you can do is be mindful of what you are planting. Bulbs and certain seeds may be able to go into the ground immediately, but vulnerable varieties will have to be started in seed trays so you can transplant them later.
You might also like…
Find out how to grow your own food including herbs in beds, pots, borders and window boxes, how to plant, and how to propagate and harvest your herbs, as the kew experts equip you with all you need to create a flourishing herb garden of your very own.
Photography by Annie Spratt
