Growing your own veg isn’t as hard as you think it might be, and is actually a great activity for all the family to get involved in. Our collaborative post sharing some how to’s might be helpful to get you started.
Create the Right Environment
First, you need to have the right space to start growing things you can eat. Fortunately, you don’t even need to have a garden. If you have no or little outdoor space, it’s still possible to grow things indoors, such as herbs or even potatoes. However, some space in the garden does give you more room to grow. Some people even like greenhouses so they can control the environment more and create the perfect conditions. If you want to create a vegetable patch or herb garden, it doesn’t take much space to get started. A sunnier patch will often work best, though.
Get the Kids Involved
Not all children will enjoy getting messy in the garden, but a lot of them love it. There are many different jobs they can try out, from planting and pruning to watering and harvesting. Get your kids involved in touching the plants and tasting the things you grow too. It’s great to encourage them to feel pride in the things they grow. However, if you do decide to start growing some food, make sure it’s something you enjoy. There’s always a chance the kids will abandon it if they get bored.
Grow Things You’ll Use
Be smart about the things you choose to grow. You should grow things that you’ll use and that make the best use of the space you have. If you don’t often cook with chillies, don’t grow chillies. But if you can always throw some runner beans into your meal or find a use for some potatoes, they could be good choices. Fresh herbs are a good option too if you like to cook with them. In fact, it makes more sense to grow your own than to buy packets of fresh herbs. Also plan for longer term gardening and the jobs you will need to keep on top of through the seasons.
Be Inventive with Your Harvest
Sometimes, the things you grow can take you by surprise. You end up with a lot more than you thought you might have and you’re not sure what to do with it. Offering some of it to friends and neighbours is one option, but there are plenty of ways you can use what you grow. You can turn some things into preserves, pickles and other products that will last longer. Or you can just have fun with different recipes.
Growing your own veg, fruit and other foods with the kids is a fun thing to do. It’s a great way to get the whole family outside and be more sustainable.