Green Gardening

I have recently been bitten by the gardening bug (not literally I might add), and I thought it would be a great way to save a bit of money by growing some of my own veg, but also reduce my carbon footprint. Now that I have a few plants growing merrily (weather permitting), I also find it immensely satisfying and am looking forward to literally harvesting the fruits of my own labour.

I thought I would start fairly small as I don’t have a lot of space, or very much time. I have a window box which now houses a few potted herbs, which I bought cheaply at a local supermarket.

I have found that strawberries are a nice easy plant to start with, since they can be bought quite reasonably, and then when established, they self-propagate. That means I will have more plants next year, without having to buy new ones. I also think that strawberries can sometimes be a bit on the pricey side in supermarkets, so it’s great to be able to pick them for free from my own garden.

Ideally, strawberries thrive in shelter and sunshine, but also need to have plenty of water. Aside from these basic needs, strawberries do not need to have special attention. However, just as strawberries are delicious for us, the garden pests enjoy them too. To counteract this issue I have raised up my large strawberry planter pots on a small section of decking. I don’t have a lot of birds visiting my garden (at the moment), but if and when I do, I may need to cover my plants with mesh so that the birds don’t get at my strawberries before I do. 

I am also contemplating potatoes, since I understand that can be grown almost anywhere. There have been occasions when I have found one or two potatoes left in the bottom of the bag and they have started to sprout on their own. If I find any such “plants” any time soon, then I plan to pop them in a large bucket. Potato tubers grow downwards into the soil, so I’ll plant them fairly near the surface. They also need plenty of water – no problems there.

In the interests of watching my weight (don’t we all!), I also plan to eat more salads during the summer months. I find that lettuce bought from shops can often go soggy quite quickly, and can also be fairly expensive. In the interests of saving money, I have bought some small lettuce plants and potted them up in a trough in my garden. I imagine they would work quite nicely on a window sill if space was limited. I suspect I am more likely to eat lettuce and enjoy it if I have actually grown it myself and it is super-fresh. I’m watering my plants regularly, and looking forward to harvest time. 

To compliment my lettuce leaves I have two tomato plants in pots, likewise bought as very small plants. I have chosen small cherry tomatoes this year, and have treated them to special tomato food and plenty of water so that they flourish. I have grown tomatoes in previous years, and so I know they will grow in my garden. Last year I put one of them in a hanging basket, and it produced masses of tomatoes.

If I had been more organised, I suppose I could have grown them from seed, and that would also have been more economical. Perhaps I will try that next year.