Grow Your Own Garden & Feed Your Soul
We understand the constant struggle of getting your family to eat enough fresh fruit and veggies to keep them healthy, never mind the cost and hassle of making sure there is always a fresh supply. So we checked out ways you can grow your own fruit and vegetables.
There is nothing quite as delicious as freshly-picked fruit straight off the tree. Even if you have just a small space or patch of dirt, you can still grow a few essentials that will be much cheaper than buying at a supermarket. Grow five basic vegetables that will give you enough for you and your family using the following method:
Draw a circle in the ground about 1 metre wide. Loosen the soil, turn it over and give it a good watering. Divide the circle into five, like cutting a pizza. Dig a 35cm deep hole in the centre of the circle.
Take an empty 2L plastic coke bottle and poke 15 small holes in it all the way around. Place the bottle in the hole you have dug, with the open top sticking out. This is how you will water your vegetable circle. All you need to do is check that the bottle has water in it and it will slowly seep out, keeping the soil damp.
You can edge your circle with stones or half-bricks. You can also use stones to make the dividing lines clearer.
Did you know?
Research shows that gardening can help your children to be more creative, happier, less stressed and more physically healthy? Planting and tending a garden together as a family is a positive and exciting thing to do. Give it a try and let us know how it goes – we’d love to hear about your gardening adventures!
THE FIVE VEGETABLES LISTED BELOW ARE ALL HIGH IN THE VITAMINS AND MINERALS THAT YOU NEED TO KEEP YOU HEALTHY.
- Tomatoes – You can use seeds from any tomato. Simply press the seed into the ground about a thumb length in. You only need to plant two or three seeds. Place a stick into the ground next to the seed because the tomato plant will need to have something to lean against as it grows. The tomato will take about two months to produce.
- Beans – Before planting beans, you need to seed them. Take fresh beans and place the seeds into damp cotton wool or a kitchen towel until a root begins to sprout. Plant these into your circle, about 10 centimetres apart. These will also need sticks to grow up onto. These will also take about two months to begin producing.
- Beetroot – You don’t need seeds for beetroot; you can use the tops of them. Simply cut off the top and leave it in a shallow bowl of water with the cut side down until it starts sprouting. Then you can plant them in your circle. Beetroot takes about three months before you can harvest them.
- Spinach – You will need to get hold of some seeds, but once you’ve grown your first plants, you can leave one to produce seeds. Push the seeds into the soil about half a thumb-length in. They’re really small, so you might have to pull some out once they begin growing. You only need about four to feed your family. This will take about one and a half months to grow.
- Radish – These grow very quickly and are great to add to any dish. Plant the seeds about half a thumb-length into the soil and about one centimetre apart. These will be ready to harvest in about three weeks.
