Ever since I lived partly off the land when my children were growing up, I’ve never been able to shake the need to grow food. Even, when I’ve had little outdoor space, a tomato plant has always got pride of place!

This year, I’ve been blessed with a greenhouse that came free from a friend. And it’s my home from home – in fact I’d move in, but there wouldn’t be any space for my plants! This is what part of the greenhouse looks like this week…..

Plants starting to grow well and already had a couple of bunches of pea shoots to add to the salads.

Growing your own food, even if it’s just a couple of tomato plants is so rewarding – imagine eating food that’s…

Totally organic.
Fresher than anything you could possibly buy
Reducing your supermarket bill.

Even without any outdoor space you could still grow a few things to eat. How about:

Beansprouts? – No digging, no soil and very tasty sprouts! There’s a how-to blog here if you fancy a go at this.

Windowsill Herbs – Just a few small pots on a bright windowsill will give you fresh organic herbs to add that ‘je ne sais quoi’ to every meal. There are lots of herb tips here on site and some pretty cool herb growing downloadable books that will inspire you to get into herb growing. (Herb Books Page)

Do a little research before you rush off to the garden centre and consider your own space, for example;

• How much sun does the garden get and where? – some plants are happier in the shade and others like to have the sun on their leaves all day
• Is the soil reasonably healthy or has it been overstretched in recent years? – if so, you may need to add some nutrients or simple compost
• Do you need any pots? Don’t go overboard here unless you’ll need to grow everything in pots. I’ve very little ground to grow in, so use a lot of pots but I’ve been slowly phasing out plastic and using these canvas pots as often as I can. They are more expensive, but with a little care, they don’t break and they certainly don’t add to the plastic pollution problem.

Breathable Nonwoven Fabric Pots with Handles, 5-Pack 5 Gallon – these are available at Amazon UK at the time of writing. But have a look around because there are lots of different sizes to choose from. Amazon UK Pots

So, seeds, pots and soil at the ready…. get gardening! Gardening is such a peaceful and relaxing hobby and it couldn’t be more practical. If you’re not growing food, grow some flowers. Flowers can bring colour, scent and bees to your garden. Nature at it’s ultimte best here. I’ve only recently started enjoying the pleasure of growing flowers and I would recommend it to anyone.

A mixture of fruits, veggies, herbs and flowers will keep you occupied and well-fed throughout the year and also bring a sense of well-being and tranquility to you and your family.

Happy Gardening!

Linda x

P.S. A few years ago I started writing mini-guides to help new gardeners get the most from their plants, and although there are a million books on gardening, it isn’t always necessary to buy a sometimes expensive book when you may only have the time, space and inclination to grow a tomato or two. So I made them super cheap and downloadable.

But then I thought why not put ten in a box so to speak and re-vamped the whole idea! Now you can grab ‘Growing Everyday Vegetables’ that covers everything in the mini guides in one download.

Growing Everyday Vegetables

Growing Everyday Vegetables takes you step-by-step through the process of growing, harvesting and storing ten everyday vegetables:

Beans, Broccoli, Carrots, Garlic, Lettuce, Onions, Peppers, Potatoes, Tomatoes and Zucchini.

And, as an added bonus, there are recipe ideas for every vegetable, so if you have a glut, you can serve deliciously different recipes that the whole family will enjoy, without getting bored!

Choose from your favourite online book store

Amazon (US) , Amazon (UK) , Apple Books , Kobo , Barnes & Noble , Etsy