How to Grow Your Own 5 A Day
Growing your own 5 a day generates an excellent sense of achievement and self-fulfilment however it also increases your self-sufficiency which can only be a good thing in today’s ever expanding eco-friendly society.
1. The first thing to do is understand your land. Determine what can be grown where, this depends on factors such as, soil acidity, sunlight available and rainfall per annum. At first try a few different fruits and vegetables, but don’t be disheartened if they don’t all succeed as they may just not be suitable for the land you have available. Just remember to learn from your mistakes!
2. Next you need to decide which specific vegetables etc that you want to grow. It is best to keep this to a minimum; simply grow what you and your family are actually going to enjoy. Keep in mind the space you have available, expecting to grow cabbages in a little garden patch is aiming high. A nice one to try is a cherry tomato plant, these work best in a green house, but can produce good results as long as it receives a large amount of sun, preferably in a south facing area of the garden.
3. A good tip for growing your own 5 a day is to be prepared. Do your research as to what fruits and vegetables like what. For example lettuce can be planted across the season compared to the cherry tomatoes which are best grown from late spring. Being prepared also includes having the right tools for the job. Any beginner should be sure to have a spade, a fork, a pair of secateurs, a hoe, a trowel, a rake, a watering can (or accessible hose,) and a good pair of gardener’s gloves. Most people do own these tools however if you haven’t really made use of the garden before; these can be purchased from any good garden centre or nursery.
A few easy starting fruit and vegetables include:
• Radishes
• Potatoes
• Carrots
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Blackberries
• Raspberries
• Strawberries
Many crops will attract the usual garden pests. Luckily there are many pesticides available to deal with these however if you feel they are dangerous to other wildlife there are always other options to eradicate these creatures. One well known way to stamp out the slugs on your home growing is to leave out sharp objects around the plants. This can include broken egg shells or pine needles as pointy objects penetrate the soft body of the slug therefore they do not like to crawl over these, however tempting the vegetable may look beyond. If this does not work for you then the best thing to do is research, many people will have had the same problems as you before so do not worry there will be a solution out there for you.
Home growing is not supposed to be an extra stress-filled job to add to the list, so do as much as is feasible for you personally. When you are able to use what you grow in your everyday cooking it provides a great sense of satisfaction; this is what growing your own is all about.
Check out our Gardening section for all things garden related.