May is the perfect month to get serious about sowing and planting your fruits and vegetables. Hopefully the hard frosts are finally behind us and summer is on the way - so now’s the time to start dreaming about living The Good Life with your own glut of homegrown produce.
With the cost of living on the rise and grocery prices soaring, it’s no wonder so many people are turning green-fingered and growing their own food. The process doesn’t have to be too arduous either; the key is to invest in good products that will help your produce to thrive. Here are some ways you can do just that…
Invest in your compost
Making your own compost is a great idea, but it can be a long process, and sometimes your soil might need something a little more refined to really help get those plants growing. That’s why it’s worth investing in a really good quality mix to boost your soil. We offer specialist mixes for either seedlings or pot plants, and each contains essential nutrients and has been specially developed to aid growth effectively.
You might also want something a little more bespoke, especially if you’re working with tricky soil, are trying to grow a difficult plant, or perhaps have specific conditions in your garden that other composts and soils can’t cater for. We can tailor-make a unique mix for you to suit your specific needs - just get in touch to let us know what you’re looking for.
Pick your favourites
It can be tempting to fill your garden with ten different varieties of kale, but unless you eat it like it’s going out of fashion, there’s little point. Instead, grow fruits and vegetables that you regularly incorporate into your meals, and nothing will go to waste.
Growing lettuce is a good option because it’s easy to grow but can be quite expensive to buy, especially when pre-prepared. Tomatoes, cucumber and other salad ingredients are also worth growing because you’ll use them a lot - and cut down your weekly shopping bill in the process.
Fan of berries? Consider fruit bushes - they require little effort on your part and should produce plenty of fruit. When it arrives, freeze what you can’t eat (or use in crumbles or cocktails!) and you’ll have your favourite berries available all year round.
Be seed savvy
When selecting which fruits and vegetables to grow, seedlings may seem like the obvious choice, but growing from seed only takes a couple of weeks longer, and you’ll get a lot more for your money.
Swapping with friends, family or your neighbours is also a great way to grow your garden for free - cuttings, excess seeds and duplicate plants are all readily available if you know where to look or who to ask, and can really make a difference when it comes to diversifying your plants.
It also pays to be selective and really plan out what you want ahead of time so you only need to accept plants that’ll benefit your garden - (many of us have accepted a plant from a neighbour and then left it unattended and unloved because we can’t work out where to plant it!) You’ll be happy you were selective in a few months’ time when your garden is filled with plants you truly love rather than border fillers you feel obliged to water because your next door neighbour generously offloaded them onto you.
Raise it up
Elevate your fruits and vegetables to a higher status by building raised beds in your garden. The soil warms quicker than at ground level, helping your produce to grow quicker. Not only that, but you’ll achieve better drainage, better water retention and fewer weeds. If you really want to get the best out of your fruits and vegetables this year, then make sure to give them some special treatment in their own raised beds - the benefits will be worth the initial outlay.