I love to be outside in the garden, and every opportunity I get I'll rush out there. I especially like growing my own fruit and veg. I've been doing it for years and every year I find a different, and usually easier way of doing things.It's strangely exciting when you've taken a seed, sometimes even one you've rescued from a previously grown vegetable and saved before the rest is thrown on the compost heap, and grown it into a whole new plant, then been able to reap the rewards for your efforts. I've learnt from mine and other neighbouring gardeners mistakes and managed each year to grow a more efficient and more productive garden, which gives me more produce and entitles me to have more time enjoying it rather than just working in it. Although it isn't all vegetable gardening - lets not forget the other various elements of gardening
Mowing - A good lawn looks great but it's no easy option - there's the treatment of it, feeding, raking and mowing all takes time and can be expensive, however, the sound of mowers on a Sunday is a quintessential part of the British Summer, and freshly cut grass - well surely everyones favourite smell!!
Pruning - Done carefully, this encourages fresh young growth, helps shape and removes dead wood and disease, for fruit trees it also increases the amount of produce, maybe not in the same year of any heavy pruning, but the rewards will definately come eventually. Pruning is generally done when the plant is dormant, but for troublesome hedges, a light clip round the year never does any harm!!
Weeding - well, I'm all against this and have a system than significantly cuts down on this, ecologically speaking!! However, for a regular garden bear this in mind - Annual weeds persisit as seedbanks that can last up to 30 years. Dense planting and milch prevent light and so can supress the weed growth. I expect how hard you try though, there will always be some part of the garden that will still need weeding, try not to let annual weeds set seed as 'One years seeding gives seven years weeding!!'
Planting - Plants add structure, scent and colour to the garden. Even if you don't have a garden, you can still add this by introducing containers or Hanging Baskets to your outside space.
Watering - Again ecological gardening can significantly reduce the need to water. Apply too little however and roots tend to under develop, too much and it runs to waste. For greatest effect, apply water beneath the foliage at the stem base, this can also prevent burning on hot sunny days.
Harvesting - Probably the best, most rewarding and tastiest part of gardening. Digging for buried treasure if you like. Nothing can compare with the joy and satisfaction of fresh veg, fruit and flowers. Ponder the fruits of your labour, then sit back and enjoy!!
Everyone love fresh vegetables and fruit, and it’s even more exciting when you’ve grown it yourself, there’s a sense of achievement, not to mention yummy fresh vegetables on your plate.
Growing your own fruit and vegetables is like having an extra pantry outside, totally fresh. Surely it’s much easier to just go and buy the stuff from the supermarket – well yes that is easier but it doesn’t taste quite as good, also you can’t just decide you suddenly need a tomato and have one right there – often with cooking you have to plan ahead to shop for the ingredients.
But what about all that work you say – well what if you didn’t have to do it – what if most of it just happened. I’ve been growing my own fruit and veg for years and I always find the less I try the better my crops turn out.
In fact by far the better tomato plants are those that have germinated themselves – a tomato drops from the plant, gets mulched into the soil naturally and before you know it – you get a whole new tomato plant – no effort, maximum reward.
So what if there was a method of growing food that was reliable, produced an abundance and was easy to understand – well, you’d want to know about it wouldn’t you. I’ve managed to grow tomato, runner bean and potatoes without even planting them first. Recently I picked my row of peas, dried out any that had gone too far and then planted them again, they are now producing another whole row of delicious peas for me to have at my table anytime I want – how’s that for recycling!!
I don’t seem to be the only person who’s cottoned on to this idea either!!
Click on any of the following titles to discover how Gardening & Vegetable Gardening really can be made easy and with much less effort!
How To Grow Food In Your Garden, The Quick And Easy Way
What Should I Be Doing In My Garden Right Now?
All gardeners are different, some prefer flowers, some like their fruit and veg and some just like to potter around the greenhouse, whatever gardener you are, I've tried to include some useful tips for all gardeners out there, so pull on your wellies and get going!!
Garden
Winters coming I'm afraid, that probably means more rain, so use a fork or aerator to spike your lawn to improve drainage.
Apply an autumn lawn food .
Any perennials that you have that are delicate, dig them up and move indoors to protect them.
Plant up your winter pots to give your garden a bit of colour through the winter months.- Move any shrubs that are growing in the wrong place!
Fruit & Veg
As you harvest cabbage, cut a cross in the top of the stem. This will encourage further cropping.
Sow Broad Beans for early crops next year.
Now's the time to protect your herbs, put cloches over basil and corriander, and pot up mint, chives and parsley to bring indoors.
Plant Garlic and Autumn Onion sets- Prune blackberries and Autumn fruiting raspberries
Greenhouse
Check your greenhouse heaters are working
Clear out finished crops in pots and grow bags and add them to the compost heap
Continue to harvest crops you may have such as Tomatoes, Peppers etc, but water more spaeringly now
Take down any shading you had and insulate the greenhouse with bubble wrap.
Empty pots of any begonias, clean off the tubers and store somewhere dark and dry.
Then come indoors for a nice cup of tea!!
