What could be fresher than a few veggies or herbs harvested from the kitchen garden and popped straight in the pot or tossed into a green salad?
Some of us may be hesitant to attempt growing our own produce but, really, it’s a lot easier than you might think.
Edible gardening is a truly rewarding pastime that even busy corporate executives or first-time gardening enthusiasts can fit successfully into their lifestyles.
Most vegetables can easily be grown from seed, and there’s an unlimited range to suit every palate. Some such as peas, beans and squashes have large seeds that germinate and grow particularly fast and reward young gardeners with noticeable results.
Good garden centres also stock trays of strong, healthy seedlings that have been given the best possible start in life. These little plants will be right for the time of year and the varieties selected to perform best in the soil and climate types of that part of the country. Planting positions, feeding and other growing advice is right at hand too.
Try a selection of crinkled or frilly lettuce seedlings in shades of red and green and plant them up in a formal design and watch the pattern fill out and come into its own in just a few weeks. These butter type lettuces can be harvested a few leaves at a time so you’ll be able to enjoy your creation as you eat from it over a good few months.
Container gardens are easy to keep tabs on if you place them in a sunny spot near the kitchen or front door where you’ll pass them often.
Surprisingly, potatoes are well-suited to container planting too. A fairly deep pot planted up with a good soil mix and healthy seed potatoes from a reliable supplier should yield a crop of the tastiest new potatoes within a couple of months. All they’ll ask is regular watering and a dose of liquid fertiliser every fortnight or so.
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