Garden design solutions: creating a kitchen garden
The rich red of a strawberry basking in the sun. The intoxicating aroma of ripening tomatoes. The gloriously pleasing taste of a new potato freshly dug from the earth and simply boiled. Growing our own fruit and vegetables can be immensely satisfying, and it really needn’t be difficult.
Here are our top 7 pointers for successful fruit and vegetable growing in your garden:
1. Less is definitely more
It is very easy to get carried away when buying seeds, but it is definitely worth concentrating on just a few crops initially. Salad crops, speciality vegetables, and maybe some strawberries and a clump of rhubarb. Choose things that are easy and relatively quick to grow, and then we can take on more as our confidence builds.
2. Location, location, location
A sunny spot will give us the best chance of success. It doesn’t need to be in full sun all day, but a patch of ground that gets direct sunlight for around four or five hours a day is ideal. Avoid locations next to large trees as well, as they will cast shade and take too much moisture from the soil.
3. Raise the beds
Raised beds make it much easier to control the depth and quality of the soil, and this generally makes it possible to grow a wider variety of crops. The beds should ideally be constructed so that they remove the need to walk on the soil as this prevents soil compaction and eliminates the need for regular digging.
4. Seeds or plugs
Raising plants from seeds can be really rewarding, but garden centres and online plant retailers sell a large range of plug plants. Plugs are small young plants that are ready to plant out in the garden. This will be more expensive than growing from seed, but it can save a lot of time and space initially.
5. Crop rotation
Growing the same plant in the same place again and again can lead to a build-up of pests and diseases. A simple crop rotation system reduces this risk and needn’t be complicated. Seek advice from books and online resources.
6. Pests and diseases
No matter how good our crop rotation is, there’s still a good chance that we’ll encounter the occasional pest or disease. Different crops suffer from different problems, so it is a good idea to regularly look for any signs of trouble. We can also look out for disease-resistant varieties which have been specially bred to be less likely to succumb to trouble.
7. Look after things
Depending on the varieties we choose to grow and the size of our plot, growing food crops needn’t be hard work. It is, however, really important to ensure that we keep everything watered and weeded, particularly in late spring and early summer. Some plants may have additional requirements (such as providing supports for climbing beans and peas), but many are neither difficult or time-consuming.
Well, there we are- a whistle-stop guide to growing our own. We’ve only covered the very basics here, but hopefully it will tempt you to try your hand at this really worthwhile activity.
Tythorne Garden Design provides professional fixed-fee garden design solutions for customers in Grantham, Stamford, Newark and surrounding areas. Let's see how we can help you to enjoy your garden more. Call us on 07900 224 239 or 01529 455 355.