There is nothing better than fresh veggies – and they’re even better if you’ve grown them yourself. Not only do you get a feeling of self-satisfaction when you chomp down on a carrot you’re reared from the early seedling stage right through to maturity – but it’s a much cheaper exercise than a trip to your local green grocer.
Home-grown vegetables are more vibrant in colour and flavour, and because you’ve grown them yourself you know exactly where they’ve come from. You can even choose to grow them organically – with no yucky pesticides – so your family isn’t consuming a bunch of harmful chemicals.
So, is growing your own vegetables only achievable for those with a green thumb? Absolutely not! Even if you’re missing the “gardener gene”, by following our simple guide there’s no reason why you can’t have a thriving vegetable garden of your very own.
Site
The first step is to pick a site in direct sunlight, so preferably somewhere with no trees nearby. For a manageable “beginners” garden the site shouldn’t be any larger than 4m x 4m.
Soil
The next thing to check is your soil. Ideally soil should be fertile and free-draining. If the existing soil looks sandy you can work in some organic matter, like well-rotted manure and compost to give it some body. If your soil is clay-like there’s no point digging, just build a retaining wall around the site and fill it with soil. It’s also a good idea to mix in a handful of plant food for each square metre – this will give your soil some extra punch. The soil should be left for a week or so to settle before planting.
Selection
Vegetables are seasonal, so check to see what’s the best vegetable to grow at the time of planting. Good winter vegetables include beans, broccoli, capsicum, carrots, eggplants, potatoes, onions and peas. This may change slightly depending on where you live in Australia, so make sure you double-check a “zone climate map” to make sure your chosen vegetables will be viable.
Planting
Sow the seed according to the directions on the packet, rows are the traditional planting choice. Seeds with take about 2 weeks to germinate so it’s important to make sure the soil doesn’t dry out. When seedlings appear then them out a little so there’s plenty of room for them to grow. Remember vegetables planted at the same time will mature around the same time, so stagger planting over a couple of weeks.
Care
Vegetables should be watered daily during winter and twice a day in summer. Be careful not to over water as this will wash nutrients out of the soil.
Harvesting
Your vegetable should be ready to harvest in about 4-8 weeks.
Now it’s time to sit down and enjoy the “vegetables” of your labour!