Jon Clift - How to grow your food : a guide for complete beginners

How to

A guide for complete beginners

First published in 2011 by

Green Books
Dartington Space, Dartington Hall, Totnes, Devon TQ9 6EN

2011 Jon Clift & Amanda Cuthbert
All rights reserved

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations in critical articles or reviews.

Design by Jayne Jones
Illustrations by Emily Barden

Print edition ISBN 978 1 900322 68 3
PDF format ISBN 978 0 85784 080 6
ePub format ISBN 978 0 85784 081 3

Theres nothing like the taste of fruit and vegetables you have grown yourself. The flavour beats anything you will get from a supermarket and the health benefits of fresh produce that has not been stored and transported for miles, or sprayed with chemicals, are obvious. Even if you only have a windowsill or some hanging baskets you will be surprised how much you can grow maybe theres room on a sunny stairwell or by the car park? Or if youve got a lawn, perhaps you dont need it? Grow food instead! Its fun to grow your own organic food and it saves you a lot of money.

This book will get you started: we have chosen fruit, vegetables and herbs that are easy to grow. Radishes, for example, can be grown almost anywhere in any space, are quick to give results and are relatively trouble-free compared with, say, asparagus or cauliflowers, which need more looking after and patience. There are literally hundreds of different varieties of seed available, from the tried-and-tested to the more unusual in this book weve suggested some varieties to get you going.

It is very rewarding to eat something that you have nurtured from a tiny seed, but if you dont have much time or space you can take a short cut many vegetables can now be bought as young plants. Where relevant we have included advice for both growing from seed and growing from a small plant that you have either raised yourself or bought.

Happy growing!

Space

How much space have you got? Even a tiny balcony or south-facing windowsill can be a space for growing food. Be creative you can grow plants in pots, bags, boxes or even milk cartons. If youve only got flowerbeds, why not grow a few runner beans, some sweetcorn or a courgette or two in amongst the flowers? Herbs are really easy in containers, and as they dont need much water they also do well on sunny banks. If you have a small strip of earth by a south-facing wall (maybe down the side of a path?) grow some tomatoes theyll like the heat from the wall. If youve just got concrete, you can grow in containers or raised beds. Whatever your space, you can grow something.

Position

Light: Youll need to think about light and shade before deciding what to grow. Most plants benefit from sunshine, so a north-facing balcony could be difficult, but maybe you have a sunny windowsill? If you have a garden, where are the sunny spots that are going to be best for growing your sun-loving vegetables? The more sun the plants get in the growing season the quicker and more productively they will grow.

Shelter: If possible, try to make sure that at least part of your growing area is out of the wind strong winds and heavy rain can damage young plants, especially tall ones.

Weather

Be aware of the seasons where you live you may need to adapt your growing to suit your local climate. If you live in a colder part of the country you will need to plant a bit later than if you live in the warmer south (use the later dates recommended in this book). Likewise, if you have a drier climate you will need to think about growing crops that dont mind dry conditions, or be prepared to get out there frequently with the watering can.

Soil

What kind of soil do you have? If it is thick, heavy, clay soil it is a good idea to add some compost (see ) to try to open it up and make it less dense. If it is a light, sandy soil add well-rotted farm manure, if you can get hold of some, or compost, which will help give the soil more body and reduce water loss. Compost both adds nutrients and enriches your soil, which will mean healthier plants.

If you are growing in containers or a window box you will need a good growing compost; there are lots of different sorts on offer, but buy compost that is peat-free (lets save what peat bogs still remain!) and, ideally, organic if you can.

Water

Its a good idea to invest in some water butts to catch the free water from the roof of your house or shed; you cant have too much, especially in a dry summer. If you are running a tap in the kitchen waiting for your water to warm up, rather than waste it, collect the cold water into a bucket and save it to use it on your plants.

Equipment

You can get by with very little equipment or, in some cases, can make your own.

Tools: If you are growing indoors you can make do with an old spoon, although a trowel is handy. Outdoors you can manage with a trowel and a large fork, but a spade, hoe and rake are also useful. Garage sales are great places to find cheap tools.

Watering: A large watering can for outside; a small one or a jug for inside.

Labelling: Plant labels can be made from cut-up yoghurt pots; use a permanent marker or soft pencil.

Tying in or up: A pair of scissors and something to tie plants up with string, thin strips of old rag, etc.

Pruning: Secateurs.

Support: Sticks, canes, trellis or netting.

Protection: Net and fleece will help to protect plants from pests and cold weather. Cloches (see ) are useful both for warmth and to give protection from pests; you can make your own small cloche by cutting a large plastic water bottle in half.

Tools dont have to be new.

Containers

While you can spend a lot of money on different sorts of container, you can also find or make things to sow and grow in that cost next to nothing.

Pots and modules: There are many different kinds of container for sowing seeds in from seed trays and modules to pots of different shapes and sizes. You can also use yoghurt pots or fruit juice cartons (with a small hole made in the bottom), or plastic containers from supermarket-packaged fruit and vegetables.

Young seedlings.

Raised beds: You can make your own or buy ready-made ones, which are made from wood or recycled plastic, are easy to use and can be placed on solid surfaces, like concrete or gravel, or on grass or soil.

Old builders bags: Great for larger crops such as runner beans or sweetcorn; they will need holes in the bottom for drainage.