Kitchen garden provides bounty for your table

THERE’S nothing quite like eating the produce you’ve grown in your own backyard and it seems the vegie patch is enjoying a resurgence. Here’s tips on how you can create one at home.

Redcliffe Garden Centre owner Gena Campbell says growing fruit and vegetables is easy. Photo: Dominika Lis

THERE’S nothing quite like eating the produce you’ve grown in your own backyard and it seems the vegie patch is enjoying a resurgence.

Redcliffe Garden Centre’s Gena Campbell says increasing numbers of people are growing fruit, vegetables and herbs in a return to old-fashioned values.

“A lot of things in life today are false, gardening is not,” Gena says. “There’s pride in growing something that you’re eating.”

Gena says you don’t have to be a green thumb to create a bountiful kitchen garden, and you don’t need a massive vegetable patch to make it worthwhile.

She says people are becoming inventive in making the best use of the space they have — with pots, green walls made from pallets, old soft drink bottles, troughs and even bicycle wheels as vehicles for fruit and vegetable production. They’re researching online and copying the option that works best for them.

The Vegepod is self-contained growing space for all kinds of plants. Photo: Dominika Lis

Gena says big, raised planter boxes are good for those who find it hard to bend, and there’s even a self-contained version available with an irrigation system and cover to keep pests out.

She says people are growing a wide range of produce — everything from herbs to tomatoes, citrus and berries. Bananas have even made a return to the backyard, with cavendish plants now available again.

Gena says people who like kitchen garden plants inside need to buy two of each one and rotate them so they spend some time outside in the sun and rain.

“If you do that, you’ve got a plant that’s really happy and doing well,” she explains.

Fruit trees are popular, as are passionfruit vines, finger limes, figs, and compact lemon and lime plants. You don’t need an oversized pot for these and they produce plenty of fruit. Gena says it’s a good idea to remove half of the fruit while the plant is young to give it a chance to flourish, otherwise growth can be stunted.

She also says to get the amount of fertiliser right. A good potting mix will have fertiliser to last a few months, but fruiting plants such as tomatoes will need more fertiliser than others. If you’re unsure, seek advice.

Growing your own produce gives you the best ingredients for cooking at home.

“There really is nothing nicer than herbs and vegies picked from the garden. They taste better, they taste sweeter,” Gena says.

Growing fruit and vegetables at home is easy according to Redcliffe Garden Centre. Photo: Dominika Lis

TIPS FOR SUCCESS

● Get creative with the space you have using pots, wall gardens and anything else you can get your hands on. Search the internet for inspiration

● Get the balance right when fertilising your plants

● Rotate plants you’re growing inside so they enjoy some sunlight

● Plant a variety of crops so you always have something to harvest

● Plan your garden and seek advice before you get started