FROM stress reduction to building overall strength, gardening has countless benefits.
Amongst these is also chemical-free, organic fresh produce you can snack on straight from the green space.
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Bur growing your own crop can not only be hard work that often ends up in a disappointment – teeny carrots that wouldn’t even feed a baby – but can also be quite expensive.
Luckily, gardening experts have shared a few Dos and Don’t to help you grow food without spending more than you would on groceries, Glamor reported.
When looking to grow your own fruit, veggies and herbs, the gurus pointed out, there are two steps to keep in mind.
The first is to spend less money on getting your green space ready and the second is to maximize the produce, trying to get as much out of it as possible.
PICK WINNERS
When picking the most cost-effective things avid gardeners can grow, the Square Foot Gardening Foundation said that herbs are the winner.
This is particularly the case if you, like most, find yourself buying a chunky bunch of coriander when you only needed a few leaves.
Other winners include summer squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli and beets.
As tempting as it might be to seed everything and anything, make sure to only grow the food you like – this will save money and produce less food waste, a major issue all around the world.
GO TO SEED
Although ”starts” are less hassle and easier to grow, starting from scratch – the seed – will save you money.
One tomato start, the experts pointed out, can cost you as much as £4.5 – whereas 30 tomato seeds can be found for roughly the same price.
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Those keen to start growing their own produce can even do so from leftover kitchens scraps, including inside of a tomato, the bottom of lettuce or a bit of a potato that’s old enough that it’s grown an eye.
PERFECT TIMING
When it comes to gardening, timing is key – one wrong step here or there and your hard work could be destroyed, with no coming back.
Although not as relevant now as warmer summer days are finally approaching, it is worth reminding that frost can damage and even kill your plant babies.
So it’s best to wait to plant or transplant them until outside temperatures have risen a bit.
HAVE A PLAN
Some fruit and vegetables require minimal work and will grow in such abundance, you may find yourself chucking the produce or composting some of it.
If you find yourself with an unexpected load of fresh basil, find a good pesto recipe ready or use an ice cube tray to freeze the leftover herb.
For other harvests, such as carrots, green beans, radishes and cucumbers, there are plenty of mouth-watering quick-pickle recipes online that will go with almost anything.
Leftover tomatoes can be blended into a creamy sauce ready for homemade Bolognese or pizza – this can also be frozen – and shredded zucchini can add extra vitamins to your pasta, muffins and even pancakes.
FIND YOUR LIGHT
Gardens, the experts said, need a minimum of six hours of direct sunlight every day – though somewhere between eight to ten is the perfect spot.
While there are some veggies that don’t mind a bit of shade, it’s generally suggested to keep them out of the shadows if nearby buildings.
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FIX THE SOIL
No plants can grow let alone thrive if the soil is struggling, so it’s important to keep it healthy and full of vital nutrients.
If you’re like most and plant directly into the ground, the experts said you will first want to get rid of any rocks and dig up any other vegetation, especially grass.
Next, you should loosen the soil about a foot down before you spread two to three inches of compost – store bought or homemade.
This should be done about a month before you have planned to plant in order to lock in nutrients and moisture.
SPACE IT OUT
If you have ever seen a garden full of veggies and herbs, you will know that typically people plant in longer rows spaced far apart.
But here, the gurus mentioned something called ”intensive gardening” -a must if you want to both increase the yield and also use less water.
To make the most out of your garden, follow this guide which explains how to space out the rows.
HAVE A SUCCESSION PLAN
A succession plan, the gardening experts explained, will ensure you have smaller batches of produce spread out over the course of many weeks rather than a single overwhelming crop that you won’t get the chance to finish.
One way of doing it is planting, for example, ten radish seeds one week, another ten the following and so on.
You can also plant different varieties of the same fruit or vegetable – beefsteak and heirloom tomatoes, for instance.
These mature at different rates, meaning they’ll be ripe and ready to be devoured at different times.
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