Love Garden Blog

There are few activities that can be so rewarding for both young and old (and in-between) as tending a vegetable garden. Besides the obvious benefits of exercise, fresh air, and saving a few quid on your grocery bill, there is something to be said for simply getting one’s hands dirty and rediscovering the almost mystical connection between man and his earth. This guide is a simple way to get started with a few root vegetables, salad crops, and fruiting plants such as tomatoes and squash. So grab a hoe and give it a go!

Preparing the Soil

This is the first critical step to any successful garden. If your gardening space is covered in grass or weeds, cut them back and cover the area you want to work with with a garbage bag, tarp, or anything that will lie flat and block out light. This will kill the grasses underneath and make the soil much easier to work with. After about two weeks, remove the covering and use a shovel or tiller to dig the soil and loosen it, to a depth of at least 30 cm, up to 60 cm is best. Virtually all food crops need a loose, light soil to grow in. At the gardening store, look for perlite – a volcanic soil amendment that will help water drain through the dirt, and while there find an all-purpose vegetable fertilizer, enough to cover the number of square metres that your garden occupies. Spread both of these evenly across the surface of your plot and mix well with the soil you’ve loosened.

Sowing Root Vegetables

Although not actually a root but a swollen stem, the common potato is a mainstay of the human diet for centuries; a wonderful source of calories in lean times. Leave seed potatoes in good light with their buds, or “eyes” up until they have sprouted to about 3 cm. In April, sow in a row about 35-40 cm apart, with another 35-40 cm between rows, and cover with a thick layer of straw. Sow carrot and radish seeds in early April and every two weeks thereafter for a continuous crop, about 3 cm apart from each other in their row. Cover with straw and water well.

Sowing Salad Greens

These can also be planted every two weeks for a succession of crops all summer long. Sow in rows, and once the seedlings have sprouted, pull some up until the remainder are 20 to 30 cm apart – but check your seed packet for specific instructions. Once again, a thin layer of straw will help retain moisture in the soil and keep away weeds.

Sowing Fruiting Plants

Plants that produce seeded fruits such as tomatoes or zucchini should be planted a bit later in the season, around the 1st of May or whenever the danger of frost has passed. Sow in rows, keeping the plants about 45 cm apart – these need a lot of room! Keep well watered throughout the season and pick fruit once they have stopped growing and appear ripe. Basil and marigold planted nearby can attract helpful insects to these plants as well.

There is an immeasurable wealth of information available today about growing one’s own vegetables, but the best teacher you can have is simple practical experience. Keep at it, love your garden through good times and bad, and in the end the bounty you reap will be much, much more than just fresh produce.