If you don’t already grow your own veg, now is the time to convert – at the beginning of a new year.
In the past, it was widely accepted and widely practised. If you had a bit of garden or an allotment in wartime or post-war Britain then you would almost certainly have grown some of your own food. My grandad not only had an allotment but also turned over the greenhouse behind their home to tomatoes.
There was a whole border full of rhubarb, too – a worthwhile, easy and productive crop and a great place to hide when you are really little.
What was a necessity for lots of people back then has now become a trend – but one that is increasingly important in these times of austerity.
I’m not suggesting Mr Osborne should start a Feed Yourselves campaign – that would be far too sensible. But once you’ve tasted your own home-grown produce, supermarket vegetables come a very poor second.
When Neil and I moved from London to Glebe Cottage 34 years ago, one of my ambitions was to grow vegetables. Though neither of us had any previous experience, within a couple of years we had a thriving patch and by the time our daughters came along there was plenty for everyone. Eventually, raising herbaceous plants for my nursery and for flower shows had to take priority.
Some gardeners are apprehensive about growing their own, but there’s no reason to be. People have been growing their own food from the very moment they decided to stay in one place and put down roots. When you sow your first beans or plant out your potatoes you are joining a tradition that goes back to the earliest days of civilisation.
Seeds want to grow. Plants want to produce leaves, roots, flowers and seeds. All we have to do is give them the conditions they need, weed them, water and nurture them and harvest and eat them. What could be easier?
Make the space
One of the major drawbacks many of us envisage is not having enough space to accommodate anything worth growing or eating.
But even a tiny patch, managed imaginatively, can provide fresh vegetables throughout the year.
A 10ft x 10ft patch, especially if it’s a deep bed, can produce something fresh right through the season. So whatever the size of your garden – and even if you don’t have a garden – growing your own is a viable option.
The more limited your space, the more important it is to grow the vegetables you like best. So make a list of your favourites, work out how they could grow together and get sowing.
Find the time
Most of us have busy lives and may have misgivings about how much time our vegetables are going to need. But the hard work is in setting up the plot – and you can think of that as great post-Christmas exercise. After that, it should be plain sailing.
There are very few fussy crops, most of the time it’s a question of raking the soil, sowing seed and keeping the plot watered and weeded.
Spring tends to be busiest although, if you are growing successionally there will be veg to sow and transplant all season.
Sometimes, working out a plan takes as much time as executing it.
Try to fit the size of the area under cultivation to the time you have. There is no point taking on a huge space, full of perennial weeds, if you have only a — couple of hours each weekend to knock it into shape. Vegetables don’t need much fussing over, but they do need consistent attention – half an hour after work each day should be enough. You’ll probably find yourself still there much later, though. Growing veg is moreish.
Enjoy the rewards
When you are beginning, success is all important, so concentrate on easy crops that will give you rich rewards, such as runner beans and courgettes, onions from sets, salads and potatoes. Delay setting up an asparagus bed or growing dwarf French beans, cauliflowers or fennel if you feel a bit diffident.
Any sort of gardening is good for you: it’s physically active, all fresh air and freedom. But as well as the exercise, it is therapeutic in other ways.
Dealing with the soil, plunging your hands into it and enabling seed to grow into mature plants that you can then harvest and eat, has to be one of the most rewarding activities.
Growing your own is good for the soul – it’s real. What’s more, if you grow organically, the vegetables you harvest are as nutritious as they could be, packed full of vitamins and minerals, bursting with goodness and absolutely fresh.
Carol’s 10 Golden Rules
1. Look after your soil – put back what you take out.
2. Concentrate on growing what you like to eat.
3. Sow successionally to avoid gluts and ensure constant supply.
4. Pick vegetables while they are young and in their prime.
5. Rotate your crops to avoid disease and maintain vigour.
6. Interplant using catch crops (a quick-growing crop) to use space to the maximum.
7. Grow for taste rather than yield.
8. Make sure your plot is in full light for as long as possible.
9. Sow green manure – plants grown for a specific period and used to feed the soil – on vacant ground.
10. Enjoy yourself and encourage the whole family to join in.
Hedge your bets on a bushy beech
We want to grow a hedge, preferably evergreen, between us and our neighbours’ garden. We know Leylandii are a bad idea and don’t like privet. Any ideas? Kathryn Jones, Leeds
CAROL: Beech hedges usually retain their lovely, russet foliage right through the winter, although they are not evergreen. You could mix in other native trees too. These hedges are much more exciting than their evergreen counterparts and better for wildlife.
Washing old trays drives me potty
Do I have to wash out old pots and seed trays before reusing them? Tom Bates, by email.
CAROL: Yes. It is great that you’re recycling your old pots – and giving them a good scrub with warm water plus a drop of detergent or bleach will ensure you’re not passing on pests or disease.
You answer..
Last week Mrs Rogers was concerned a mushroom-like growth on her peach tree could be putting it in danger.
CAROL: If the tree cropped well that’s a good sign. Appearances can be deceptive – not all funghi are harmful. Keep an eye on the tree. If you spot another growth remove it before it matures.
Colin Power from Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, says: I’d keep dosing the growth with fungicide until it disappears for good.
Michelle Billing, by email, says: If it’s an old tree, it might just be that its age is making it susceptible to illness. You could try giving the tree a good prune and feeding it well to help build up its resistance and make it stronger.
? Can you help Emily? What’s the difference between hardy annuals and half-hardy annuals? We would like to know if we can grow either inside our nice, bright glass porch. Emily -Gabitas, Cambridge
What we’re doing this week here at Glebe Cottage
Good intentions: Everyone makes resolutions about how things are going to be different next year.
It’s a bit academic to record weather conditions and doesn’t really change things anyway, so I’m resolving to keep a record of anything that works well in the garden – especially successful combinations of plants – in order to repeat or to build on them.
Some of this will be written, but if I can get out there every day with a camera and take just a couple of snaps, who knows where it may lead? The crucial word is “if”!
Trunk call: Neil and I are going to have a tree-planting ceremony. New Year seems a good time to do it and since we don’t know any royalty, we’re planning on planting the tree ourselves. It’s an apple, James Grieve, given to us years ago by lovely friends. The only place we’ve got room is as part of our native hedge. It should be really happy there.
Offer of the week:
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You can buy one Rose Black Baccara for £7.99 or buy two for £15.98 and receive another free.
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