Grow Your Own Fruit and Vegetables

Growing fruit and vegetables is becoming more and more popular, with high waiting lists for allotments [1]. However some can be grown in a small garden or even indoors or on a balcony [2], and there are plenty of resources around with tips and advice. The number of homes with vegetable gardens has been growing over the past few years [3]. There are several benefits to growing your own fruit and vegetables, for example you know exactly what fertilisers have (or haven’t) been used to grow them, they’re fresher and energy is saved by eliminating packaging, transport of the produce from source to point of sale and your travel to the shops to buy them. It also reduces the energy used to refrigerate and store produce to keep it fresh after harvesting, both in warehouses and in the home [4], as they can be used straight away. They can be cheaper, gardening is a gentle form of exercise and use of home grown fruit and vegetables also encourages seasonable eating [5].

The amount of space, time and equipment needed will vary depending on the fruit or vegetable to be grown, but there are some general practices that are applicable to all types:

Whether growing outside in the ground or in pots or containers indoors or outdoors, the same general rules apply, but on a smaller scale for pots [2]
Choose a warm sunny spot, avoiding shade and adding shelter from the wind (for example with a windbreaker) where necessary [2]
Plants grown in plastic pots or containers will require less watering than those grown in terracotta pots [6] because terracotta is porous and will absorb some of the water
Use fruit/vegetable planners (e.g. [7, 8]) to determine when to plant and harvest different types of crop. The Royal Horticultural Society also has a list of general tasks that should be done at the current time of year [9]
In pots, use compost rather than soil from the garden, as soil will pack down too hard and can also contain weeds [10]
When planting in the ground, dig the soil over and remove weeds before planting [9]
Different seeds will need to be sown at various depths within the soil – always check instructions or growing guides
Plants need a constant supply of water at their roots in order to produce the best crop – soil should be kept constantly and evenly moist [11]
Check for weeds regularly and remove
Check if the plant being grown needs a particular food, and if so supply this as instructed for the best results

Plants can be grown from seed, or bought as already germinated seedlings. Both seeds and seedlings are available at garden centres, or even in some supermarkets. The Royal Horticultural Society has a Grow Your Own Fruit and Veg A-Z guide [12] that has a lot of useful information and instructions specific to different types of plants. This is specific to the plant being grown and is far more than can be given in a general article – detailed instructions for each type of plant should always be followed in order to get the best results. In particular, check how much care and watering are needed. With a garden, there are numerous types of fruit and vegetables that can be grown depending on preference. However, if space is more limited, plants that can easily be grown in pots include tomatoes, courgettes, strawberries, chillies, carrots, cucumbers, peppers and rhubarb, among others, and even potatoes can be grown in large patio pots [12, 13].

If the right amount can be grown to meet individual needs, wastage of excess food, and all the associated energy, can be reduced [4]. Even if you can’t produce enough for all your needs, food you’ve grown yourself can be an enjoyable and useful addition to your meals, and if you grow too much it can always be given away or preserved for later use by freezing (whole or in soups), pickling, making into jams or drying. Why not couple your growing with a composting bin for even more environmental benefits?

[1] http://www.transitiontownwestkirby.org.uk/files/ttwk_nsalg_survey_2011.pdf

[2] http://www.lovethegarden.com/how-to-grow/vegetable-garden

[3] http://www.makeitandmendit.com/2011/06/07/grow-your-own-gardening/

[4] http://www2.btcv.org.uk/display/freefoodguide

[5] http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Environmentandgreenerliving/Greenerhomeandgarden/Greenergarden/DG_177399

[6] http://www.lovethegarden.com/how-to-grow/growing-fruit-and-vegetables

[7] http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/articles/planting-guide

[8] http://www.lovethegarden.com/projects/vegetable-planner

[9] www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Grow-Your-Own/jobs-to-do/

[10] http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/userfiles/file/GrowYourOwn_delicious_Apr09.pdf

[11] http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Grow-Your-Own/Advice/Veg-advice/Watering

[12] http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Grow-Your-Own/Veg-A-to-Z/