In today’s article, we are going to tell you a few tips and tricks for growing your own food, as well as food that you can grow at home. If you have felt an over-reliance upon grocery stores and have noticed that even the simplest of vegetables and fruits is burning a hole in the pocket, then it may be time that you, like this author, begin growing your own produce at home. Not only can you save money, but you can actually make money by selling it locally. Local, organic produce is high in demand right now, so that might be something to think about.
Here are a few tips and tricks for growing your own food in 2021, the year of the plague!
What Will You Need?
If you are embarking on a mission to grow your own produce, you may be asking yourself ‘What will I need?’ Well, before we move onto what you can grow, and how, it is first important to tell you what you will need. Ideally, to grow in your garden you will need to have a garden patch or raised bed to grow in. If you intend on using a bed, then you will need something to retain water, so choose between perlite vs vermiculite, the latter being my personal favorite. You will need lots of water, and lots of space. It is crucially important that you have your own dedicated gardening area, free from children and pets; somewhere you can make your own and spend time on. If you do not carefully plan out your garden patch and gardening arrangements, you could jeopardize your crop, or just not grow one at all. You will also need gardening tools, obviously!
Onions and Garlic
It is important to know, we think, what you can grow easily in your back garden. Garlic and onions are staple foods that can be found in more or less every meal. Growing them at home can be very easy, and provided that you store them properly, they can last you for up to eight months. You can also keep garlic in the freezer. To grow these vegetables, you just need to plant your garlic and onion when they begin shooting, which would ordinarily mean you would need to throw them away. You need to have them in soil by the middle of spring or autumn, and be sure to water them.
Potatoes
Potatoes are a quintessential garden farmer plant. They are easy to grow, pair well with everything, and are hardy vegetables. To plant them, you just need to fill a bin bag with compost and put a few whole potatoes inside. Alternatively, you can put them in the ground. You do not want to put too many in the patch, as there won’t be room for the potatoes to spread their roots and sprout. Potatoes take around 10 to 20 weeks to grow and are easy to look after.
Strawberries
A guilty confession of mine is that during the spring and summer, as a boy, my friends and I would sneak into our neighbor’s allotment and eat all of his strawberries. I just love them! They are incredibly easy to grow, and you can grow them in pots or grow bags, or just put them in the ground. If you look after your strawberries, they will fruit every single year. Strawberries are an easy plant to grow and definitely should be grown in your garden if you want to start producing your own organic produce.
Chillies
Often thought to only grow in hot climates, chillies are actually a very hardy plant that can grow in your garden. They are a delicious plant to add to and spice up your dishes. You can pop them into a small pot and stick them underneath your window, or alternatively, you can grow them in your garden. There are so many varieties of chilli that you can grow, it can become very confusing. The hotter the chilli, in my opinion, the more delicious. If you are a fan of all things hot but don’t want to spend a fortune on buying chillies, then grow them in your garden and do yourself a favor.
Celery
Celery is a vegetable that can reproduce, fascinatingly. To grow celery, you just need to put the root in a bowl of water beside the windowsill, and a week later, it will begin to grow. You can also, of course, grow celery in your garden, but considering how easy it is to grow inside your home, we would recommend that you do that. Celery is absolutely delicious and accompanies virtually every and all foods. You can also use them as delicious dunking sticks, if you have some hummus.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes can be grown from seed, or you can buy tomatoes already grown, but young. If you want to start producing sooner, then a young plant with a vine is your best option. You can buy special hanging baskets that can hold your tomatoes, or you could grow them from the ground up. Tomatoes are a great plant that are very versatile and delicious in most dishes. Tomatoes can be found all over the world and you should have no difficulty growing them wherever you are, so give tomatoes a go, and we are confident that you won’t regret it.
Cress
Cress is an incredibly healthy plant that can be very beneficial to your digestion and immune system. You can grow cress in any small pot, plastic, clay, or not. Heck, some people even grow cress in egg shells, seriously. Cress is delicious and easily grown, so you should have no problem creating a little cress farm for yourself. Cress is, without a doubt, a personal favourite of mine, so I definitely think you should give a little cress patch a go in your garden. You can’t go wrong with cress, or watercress for that matter, they rule.
Growing plants in your garden or house can give you the freedom to not rely upon green grocer’s shops. Instead, you can grow it all and eat from your garden. Doing so will give you a good food source you can count on in the coming years.
