Benedict Vanheems - GrowVeg: The Beginners Guide to Easy Vegetable Gardening

Welcome to the joyous world of edible gardening! Well show you how to get your fruits and vegetables off to the very best start.

The saying goes that life begins the day you start a garden. It gets you outside into fresh air sun on your back, wind in your hair and closer to the natural world. Interacting with plants is scientifically proven to be good for both physical and mental health. Time spent tending your personal patch of paradise helps clear the mind and relieve stress, leaving you calm and contented. The journey from garden fork to kitchen fork is an immensely satisfying one. Its no surprise that you rarely come across a grumpy gardener.

So congratulations on picking up this book youve just taken your first step toward enjoying the freshest, tastiest, and most nutritious food possible!

Growing your own vegetables and fruits makes it possible to harvest at the absolute peak of perfection because theres no processing, refrigeration, or transportation to worry about. Fresh food takes taste to a whole new level, as anyone who has indulged in the juiciness and aroma of a just-picked strawberry will know. Time from plot to plate is measured in minutes instead of days, so anything you grow will contain a higher density of vitamins and minerals, too.

More of us are waking up to the environmental problems our planet faces. The scale of the challenge may seem overwhelming, but growing more of the food we eat is an empowering response to the seemingly impossible task ahead. Todays gardeners are tuned in to the issues surrounding sustainability. Opt to grow organically, and consider wildlife, and you and your crops will thrive all the more.

Another reason to get dirt under your fingernails is the mouthwatering prospect of choice. Vegetables and fruits destined for the grocery store are bred for uniformity and shelf life. Well, you can throw that onto the compost heap, my friend, because now you are in the market for flavor! With literally thousands of different varieties to try, often from a single crop alone, theres a universe of tastes, textures, and characters to explore. Get ready to supersize your larder!

Over the coming chapters, you will discover all the basics you need to get growing and on the way to those first precious harvests. The projects are designed to stand alone but may equally be grouped as part of a larger setup. There is a project for everyone, whether you have a windowsill, balcony, or sprawling acreage. Breathe in the inspiration, feel fired up, then pick your projects, and ready, set... sow.

If you are new to gardening, its best to start small. Take your time and expand the quantity and range of crops as your confidence and experience grow. Remember, gardening is a lifelong journey, and there is always more to learn. The projects featured in this book are great places to start and have been selected for reliability, performance, and good looks worth shouting about. So what are you waiting for? Lets get growing!

Vegetable and fruit gardening has come a long way. Once the preserve of enthusiasts, now it seems everyones at it and so they should be! Homegrown food is quite simply better in every conceivable way: taste, texture, freshness, nutritional value, character, sheer charm... you name it.

So where to grow your own food? How about wherever you like! With so many different crops to choose from and such a range of varieties to enjoy, theres something suitable for every space, regardless of its size, shape or location. This is great news, because everyone deserves the right to grow at least a little of what they love.

Most vegetable plants are either annuals or are grown like annuals, meaning theyre sown, grown, and picked within the same growing season. Both new and seasoned gardeners can use this to their advantage get it wrong one year and you have another shot at glory the next! Take any setbacks as a lesson from Mother Nature. Listen and learn and, hey, dont sweat it. Remember, gardening isnt about a final destination: its about that joyous journey of discovery.

The best advice for anyone new to gardening is to start small and at your own pace. Theres little point rushing ahead and spreading your efforts too thinly. Concentrate on a few fail-safe projects and your garden can grow alongside your confidence.

You dont need to have a garden to start growing! Many vegetables and edible flowers like this nasturtium grow well in containers.