Grow your own

Lovely_Laura

Moooooo
Hi everyone, Does anyone grow their own fruit and veg? I am no gardener but have a sudden urge to grow fruit and veg. Is it hard to do?

Having just eaten a bowl of strawberries and blueberries (why are blueberries so expensive?:cry:) with some VLFFF I want it everyday! Would a complete novice be able to grow such things and does it atually work out alot cheaper than buying it? No idea what our soil is like or anything, think it's fairly good as we planted a pear tree about 6 years ago and have a huge harvest each year despite just leaving it to do it's own thing.

Any advice or suggestions really appreciated!

Thanks
Laura x
 
Ive got blueberries in pots on the patio. Just water and feed and come up every year. Put plum tree in 3 yrs ago and starting to nfruit, Just bought 1st green house for toms etc but not planted any yet.
 
have you considered getting a small allotment patch? contact your local council...i think if you have the time and patience you can grow lots of things - but be warned, slugs and other parasites might ruin your crops! :( i cant grow a herb garden so i think i will stick to Waitrose fruit and veg for now! haha! x
 
Thanks, I might just start with some tubs and see how it goes, we'll be having some building work done at some point and not sure how much garden I'll have left, would hate to see my hard work get bulldozed.:8855:

Glad it's possible to grow blueberries in England, I wasn't sure how warm it needs to be so that definitely on the list. Allotment would be great but I know I wouldn't care for it enough-far too lazy! Maybe in the future when i have some energy.:D
 
I started growing stuff last year and this time round I'm far more organised. Take a look on iplayer at The edible Garden . It'll give you some good ideas and there is a book to go with it £8.99 on Amazon. If you're pretentious like me :p you can grow peashoots from a pack of dried peas in a container. 99p in M&S for 50g! A 52p pack (from a supermarket)will keep you going all summer in containers for 3 years! 1 pack of french beans can be used for 3 years so you're talking £1 a year! Surplus can be frozen. I have 10lbs of leeks in the freezer, we've been pulling them since november and the pack cost 29p!
The main cost is seed, and compost, especially if you grow in containers, but you will save money and you get much better tasting veg.
Lettuce seed can be bought for 29p at aldi/lidl and give you hundreds of plants for a few years, (you can save the seed for 2-3 years)
Strawberry plants can cost abit the first year, but then they last and will give you runners to propagate.
Some veg don't turn out much cheaper but they are fresh and (hopefully ) organic. If you sow salad leaves , rocket etc you will save a fortune, mangetout are easy, but rarely make it to the kitchen! Tomatoes taste and smell wonderful!
Do some reading. The Grow Your Own forum is very good and don't expect to get it right all the time. But once you start, you won't want shop bought again!
 
I have a small area of my garden where i grow, leeks,carrots, beetroot, broadbeans,french beans, radish,lettuce, cabbage, sprouts,strawberries and blackberries......phew! it's really easy and very rewarding.
Lettuce is one of the best things to grow as there's many different kinds to grow and it's very easy. A bag of mixed lettuce in morrisons is £1 a bag. A packet of seeds is about£1.99 but will see you through summer and it's fresh and you've grown it yourself. Very tasty ;)
The main thing is to be organised :)
 
We have our greenhouse full of lettuce, tomatoes, courgettes, peppers, chillies, cucumbers, radishes, spring onions, rocket and coriander.

DH also has a veg garden where he grows potatoes, carrots, beans, cauli's, broccoli, swede, cabbages.

We also have a few tubs with strawberries and herbs growing in them.
 
Such a lot of great ideas, thank you so much. I'll have a good look at the things you all mentioned and decide what to try first. Quite excited now! I'll let you know how I get on....
 
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