FOOD FOR THOUGHT
From herbs to fruit, salad to chillies, growing your own food is fun, satisfying and budget-friendly. Alex Mitchell, aka the Edible Gardener, tells you how to get started – whatever size your outdoor space…
VEG PATCH
Even a small veg patch can be productive year-round if you plan your space. The key is not to become overwhelmed when starting out. Begin with a square metre of space and then expand as you grow in confidence. Stick to three or four reliable crops in the first year.
Choose a sunny spot, away from trees. If the area is grassed, lay thick cardboard over it. Otherwise simply clear any weeds. Then cover with a 15cm layer of homemade garden compost. If you don’t have any, use peat-free multipurpose compost instead. Tread it down and you’re ready to plant.
● Don’t be afraid to ‘cheat’ by buying small plants. You can grow from seed but you’ll get a head start by planting seedlings.
● Make short work of weeds by growing in rows and hoeing between them regularly. With a Japanese razor hoe (£22.99, burgonandball.co.uk) you can weed in seconds without damaging your crops.
● Fight slime crime. Protect seedlings with ring barriers of bran – an eco-friendly way of staying slug-free.
● If you don’t have room for a dedicated veg patch, grow edible plants in among your flowers. Let runner beans climb up wigwams among your roses, mingle blue leeks with marigolds, or curly kale with nasturtiums.
● Don’t dig! It damages the soil structure and brings weed seeds to the surface. Every year just add another 3cm layer of compost to the surface of your vegetableetable patch.
● Get composting. The key to a successful veg patch is a free supply of goodness you can add to the soil to keep it fertile. If you have space, just pile up prunings, vegetable scraps and grass clippings. Or buy a compost bin to keep it tidier.
● French and runner beans. Pretty and productive. The big seeds are easy to sow now, or buy small plants in May. Grow beans up wigwams of bamboo canes. Dwarf French beans need no supports.
● Kale. There are so many types of kale, from Red Russian to crepey-blue Cavolo Nero and Dwarf Green Curled; all of them are easy to grow. Cut back in spring and they will re-sprout for another year.
● Courgettes. Give these huge plants room to sprawl, or, if space is tight, grow Black Forest, which will climb. Pick courgettes small; if you’re feeling creative, cook the flower buds stuffed with ricotta.
● Lettuce. It’s such a pleasure to pick a fresh lettuce, and in the veg patch there is room to grow them to maturity rather than cut them as baby leaves. The popular variety Webbs Wonderful will produce huge, crispy lettuces in 12 weeks.
● Kalettes are a cross between kale and Brussels sprouts that produce beautiful rose
