Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $9.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Grow Your Own
    Grow Your Own
    Grow Your Own
    Ebook221 pages1 hour

    Grow Your Own

    By Ian Cooke

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Reap the advantages of backyard-to-table produce with tips on planning, soil, fertilizers, cultivation, pests, and diseases. Includes a Quickstart Guide!

    This is a simple and systematic guide to growing a selection of the tastiest fruit and vegetables. The aim of this book is to start you off with some easy-to-grow produce such as carrots, onions, radishes, tomatoes and strawberries. Once you have the confidence of the first growing season behind you, you can then progress to crops requiring slightly more labor, such as peas, beans and raspberries. When you grow your own produce, you can be absolutely sure that everything has been organically cared for and you can grow just the variety you like. You can pick the fruit and vegetables at their freshest without a tiresome journey to the supermarket. It’s satisfying, it’s economical and it’s delicious.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Integrated Media
    Release dateNov 9, 2020
    ISBN9781607659228
    Grow Your Own

    Related to Grow Your Own

    Related ebooks

    Gardening For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Under Cover

      Jul 26, 2022

      Under Cover
      3 min read

    • Article

      Top Jobs For July

      May 24, 2022

      Top Jobs For July
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Garden of Rebirth

      Mar 13, 2020

      The Garden of Rebirth
      10 min read

    • Article

      Top Jobs For March

      Feb 21, 2023

      Top Jobs For March
      5 min read

    • Article

      Working with WEEDS

      Nov 9, 2020

      Working with WEEDS
      5 min read

    • Article

      Growing beans

      Feb 24, 2023

      Growing beans
      5 min read

    • Article

      Cottage Garden delight

      Jun 24, 2021

      Cottage Garden delight
      6 min read

    • Article

      Free Gardening

      May 12, 2023

      Free Gardening
      2 min read

    • Article

      Hoya

      Apr 1, 2020

      Hoya
      3 min read

    • Article

      Embracing the Mess

      Mar 17, 2023

      My winter garden is a mess. Dead plants hang off my trellises, and leaf debris litters my walkways. Autumn and the killing frost happen during hectic times. I’m often traveling for work, preserving my harvests, or facilitating livestock breeding duri

      2 min read

    • Article

      Top 10 Money-Saving Crops

      Mar 18, 2022

      Top 10 Money-Saving Crops
      2 min read

    • Article

      Delicious Thistle

      Apr 13, 2022

      Delicious Thistle
      4 min read

    • Article

      THE ROAD TO Self-sufficiency

      Sep 22, 2020

      THE ROAD TO Self-sufficiency
      7 min read

    • Article

      True Blues

      Feb 22, 2019

      True Blues
      6 min read

    • Article

      Landscapes That Work

      Jun 22, 2021

      Landscapes That Work
      7 min read

    • Article

      Anise Hyssop: Herb of the Year

      Aug 30, 2019

      Anise Hyssop: Herb of the Year
      5 min read

    • Article

      What’s Pestering You?

      Jul 14, 2023

      Pest prevention wasn’t much of a problem in Nevada. Our biggest hazard was black widows. Carelessness meant painful bites and possibly antivenin. They crept in dark corners and under cabinets—essentially, anywhere we didn’t sweep often. Black widows

      2 min read

    • Article

      Grow Green Manure

      Apr 10, 2020

      Grow Green Manure
      8 min read

    • Article

      Our Plotter Of The Month

      Jan 25, 2022

      Our Plotter Of The Month
      2 min read

    • Article

      This Issue

      Apr 13, 2022

      This Issue
      2 min read

    • Article

      Propagation For Beginners!

      Jan 25, 2022

      Propagation For Beginners!
      6 min read

    • Article

      THE CROPS THAT KEEP on giving

      Apr 26, 2022

      THE CROPS THAT KEEP on giving
      3 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Grow Your Own

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Grow Your Own - Ian Cooke

      INTRODUCTION

      Whether you’re sure you want to grow your own fruit and vegetables and need some basic advice or you’re still debating whether this is a valid exercise, this book will be helpful in advising and guiding on the basics of successfully growing most of the common fruits and vegetables.

      To be truly self-sufficient for fruit and vegetables, you would need to be able to produce enough for consumption 365 days of the year. For most people this is unlikely to be feasible. Many people, however, may wish to become self-sufficient for some aspect of their food production, maybe basic vegetables for the year, salads for the summer or just soft fruits.

      Growing fruit and vegetables is not difficult providing you observe some basic techniques and carry out the different tasks at the right time. It does require commitment, however, particularly during the summer months, when weeds are growing rapidly and your vegetables and crops require harvesting almost daily. It can be time-consuming and it’s not easy to take a break without your crops spoiling. It is better, therefore, to aim low initially, starting with a small plot and seeing how successful this is before you take on a full allotment.

      There are many advantages to growing your own fruit and vegetables. Initially, whatever you grow can be harvested, prepared, cooked, if appropriate, and on your table within an hour or so. When you grow your own produce you can also harvest at the ideal stage, so you can have small tender young broad beans, finger-sized courgettes, and French beans as thin as pencils. And, of course, taste goes hand-in-hand with freshness. Such freshness and flavour can rarely be replicated from shop-purchased produce. Also, apart from the health benefits of increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables in your diet, the actual process of regularly tending a plot is good exercise.

      Illustration

      When you grow your own, you can also choose the varieties that you wish to eat. Although you will want a good crop, I would suggest that in your own plot flavour should be a high priority. You can also choose to grow varieties of vegetable that aren’t commercially widely available. For example, golden beet is an easily grown variation of beetroot that makes a delicious vegetable but is rarely offered in the shops. French beans are available as tasty golden or curious purple types. There is also an increasing interest in heritage or heirloom varieties, as they are sometimes called. Old varieties of tomato and potato can have both a fascinating appearance and distinctive flavours.

      Produce that has been picked from your own garden will also not have been contaminated with any pesticides or additives if you have chosen not to use these. Although a lot of crops are now grown organically, many are not and will have been treated with pesticides, and subject to post-harvest treatments to prevent decay during the sales period. When you grow produce yourself, you know exactly what has been used. If you want to avoid using pesticides, you will need to follow various alternative ways of combating pests and diseases (see here). In particular you can choose varieties that have inbred resistance.

      So, is it financially viable? Initially there will be some expenditure on tools and basic equipment, plus there will be the annual costs of seeds, manures and fertilisers. A good investment always results in good yields, so buy quality seed and ensure that the soil is properly fertilised to start with. In most cases you will harvest crops valued far in excess of the costs of your initial seeds and fertilisers.

      Now you’ve decided to give it a go, you can get started. The first three sections of this book will guide you through the basics of planning, soils, fertilisers, cultivation, pests and diseases that are common ground for most production. The following three chapters look in detail at vegetable and fruit crops and using a greenhouse. If you are impatient to get going, however, the ‘Quickstart Guide’ on here may be just what you need.

      Illustration

      Getting started

      Illustration
      ‘There is no time like the present’ is a familiar challenge but the best time to start with fruit and vegetables is late winter or early spring; enough time to plant fruit trees and bushes and get soil cultivation complete and ready for spring sowing. Garden centres offer plenty of seeds and plants and you will soon see the results of your work.

      Quickstart guide

      Maybe you are so keen to get started that you haven’t got time to read the whole book before getting going. Well this is the page for you! Here are some suggestions for how you can immediately start with a few fast-growing and rewarding crops. References are to pages containing more detailed information on each point.

      • Dig over the soil you want to use, removing all weeds (see here).

      • Tread lightly to firm the ground, rake it and apply a general fertiliser at 60g/m2 (see here).

      • In early spring, sow seeds of lettuce, spring onions and leaf radish (see here) and carrots (see here).

      • Follow in late spring with French beans (see here), beetroot (see here) and spinach (see here).

      • Sow seeds thinly in rows 30 cm (12 in) apart (see here).

      • Plant a few seed potatoes in a little soil in a deep pot or plastic drum and top up with soil as growth develops (see here)

      • In early summer look for plants of tomatoes, courgettes and sweetcorn in your local garden centre and plant at about 45 cm (18 in) apart (see here).

      • For a quick fruit crop look in your garden centre for some part-grown strawberry plants. Grow them in large pots to keep them away from slugs (see here)

      • Keep your crops well watered in dry conditions (see here).

      • Harvest as soon as crops are big enough and re-sow the same crop for continuity.

      Illustration

      Where to grow fruit and vegetables

      If you have space in your own back garden, then this is probably the best place for a kitchen garden. It’s quick and easy to tend to your crops at regular intervals and convenient to pop out and harvest something fresh for a meal. You will also have access to water and, if needed, electricity and secure storage for your tools. If you don’t have enough space in your own garden it may be that a neighbour has more garden than they need and may be willing to loan a section for your use. Usually a basket of vegetables on occasion is all they will want in recompense.

      Illustration

      Allotments

      Allotments may seem the next obvious choice. You will find yourself amongst a community of keen gardeners, probably with a wealth of experience, advice and often friendly camaraderie. Some allotment sites are sophisticated but others are quite basic so you need to check the facilities available. Some sites allow sheds and greenhouses whereas others don’t. With the current popularity of growing vegetables, unfortunately most allotment sites have a waiting list, usually of a number of years.

      Well-used plots may have problems with infected soil and neglected plots with weeds. It may take a whole season to clear up the plot before it can be used. Speak to existing allotment holders about problems and challenges, including pests and crime. A full-size allotment will enable you to grow almost anything you might want but will take up a great deal of time – you may wish to share, or ask for a half-sized plot.

      Illustration

      Community gardens

      Community gardens and city farms are local initiatives based around a piece of land, usually where crops are grown and small animals such as chickens may be kept. Community gardens are often a lot more neighbourhood based than allotments, with groups of individuals working together to grow food. Plots may be small and the work shared. Sometimes the plots will be expressions of the background of the local population, with various ethnic crops being grown. Community gardens can be large and well organised or quite simply small patches of unused land. In some areas, giant builders’ bags filled with soil have been used to turn an empty patch of derelict concrete from an eyesore into a productive and colourful area.

      Growing vegetables in small spaces

      Many people would like to grow fruit and vegetables but feel that the space they have is too restricted. Even in a tiny garden or on a balcony, however, you can produce some home-grown vegetables and fruits. With a restricted space, select compact varieties and those that are sometimes called ‘mini vegetables’. Use a close spacing and harvest the vegetables when small, following with successional sowings to get the most from your space. Use any soil you have, plus growbags, pots and containers. Always use new growbags and replace the soil in pots every year, to avoid a build-up of disease and to get the maximum yield from a small space. Avoid crops which take a long time to mature, such as bulb onions and winter brassicas, and those that take up a lot of space, such as maincrop potatoes and courgettes.

      Carrots, turnips and

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1