Live Life on the Veg and Grow Your Own

Pexels – CC0 License

Making the decision to grow your own vegetables is great in theory but how do you actually put this into practice? Your garden may be well-coiffed with a patch of lawn, some glorious border planting, a tree or two, and some patio space for a spot of summer al fresco dining. To zone off some of this space for your vegetable growing ambitions, you need to work out how much veg you want to grow and the types of seeds that you want to sow. You might be able to make do with a few pots or you might want to create some raised vegetable beds for your root veg and brassicas. Take a look at how you can begin to live life on the veg and grow your own.

Start Slowly

Deciding to become a tad more sustainable and grow your own veg is admirable. This is a great way to get your kids away from the TV screens, spending more time outside doing something productive, and getting them engaged in a valuable pastime. Start by growing those vegetables that give you instant results. There’s nothing worse than growing something like a spring cabbage that takes months to shoot. Instead, opt for potatoes, pak choi, and carrots. These crops shoot quickly and you can watch them grow into edible produce in a matter of months. 

Just make sure that you sow your seeds in the designated months. Hot chili plants need sowing in April after a frost so that they can grow larger and stronger in the heat of the sun in the summer for example. When you begin to see the faster-growing crops growing, you will be motivated to try more exotic and challenging vegetables.

Beds

When thinking about how to grow your vegetables, don’t just plant them randomly in borders. You need to consider how to section specific areas of your garden to build vegetable beds. A vegetable bed should be raised with at least eight inches depth for multipurpose compost. Use a frame of any shape made out of any wood that you can get your hands on. You don’t need expensive reclaimed oak sleepers, any sort of straight wood that you can weatherproof can form a frame of any shape. Lay the frame on lawn, patio, or gravel and fill. Sow your seeds as per the instructions on your seed packets and keep well watered. Try to reuse rainwater by installing a slimline water tank in your garden. This way, you don’t have to keep venturing to your mains.

Propagation

Some seeds need to be propagated before making the final transfer to a seedbed. Certain tomato plants, cucumbers, and herbs need to be kept indoors, in a shed or greenhouse to create ideal conditions for the seeds to chit. Once they have, you can keep them well watered until around three inches high. Then, dig out their tiny root balls and plant into your raised vegetable beds. Keep your beds organized with labels and weed regularly. Weeds take valuable nutrients from your crops so keep them at bay on a daily basis. 

Have a go at planting some vegetables today and live life on the veg.