It’s a great time of year to get your hands dirty and grow your own fruit and vegetables

FOOD never tastes so good as when you’ve grown and harvested it yourself, Robyn Willis writes.

HOME GARDEN Eden Gardens edible gardens for small spaces

MOST of us spend more time grocery shopping than we would like. But imagine how enjoyable it would be swapping the check-out queue for a short trip into your own garden.

While the popularity of growing your own food continues to, well, grow, too many people are convinced that reaping their own harvest is beyond their reach.

Not so says horticulturalist Andy Sutherland from Eden Gardens at North Ryde. He teaches people of all ages and all walks of life how simple it is to grow their own herbs and vegies at home.

“A successful vegie garden needs a certain level of light,” he says.

“That’s the main criteria.”

Planting an edible garden from Eden Gardens.

Vegetable gardens generally require at least six hours of direct sunlight. Without sufficient light, they will fail to thrive.

Andy says it is also a good idea to be realistic from the outset in terms of how much time you can dedicate to tending to your garden because this will determine how big or small it can be.

“You should be able to enjoy growing your own vegies so you should think about how much time you have to spare whether it’s an hour a day or an hour a week,” he says.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

There are also a number of factors to consider when deciding what vegies to grow.

If you’re hoping to involve the kids, Andy says it’s always good to starting point to go with the crowd pleasers.

“Go with anything they enjoy eating, like strawberries,” he says.

“Most kids don’t like their greens but if they’re involved in looking after them and watching them grow, they’re more likely to have a go at eating them.”

A child with some home grown beetroot from Eden Gardens.

General family or cultural preferences will also play a part in what varieties of herbs and vegies you opt for.

But growing Mediterranean-style vegetables is often just as straightforward as planting and growing Asian classics.

Andy says vegie growing classes at North Ryde have been influenced heavily by the local community.

“We have a big Asian community here so it’s mostly salad crops with herbs for Thai cooking,” he says.

GOOD BEGINNINGS

Regardless of what style of cooking you favour, Andy says it’s worth choosing herbs and vegies that will grow together without too much difficulty.

“Something like mint you will want to contain because it tends to dominate the space,” he says.

“Some people don’t realise that tomatoes will grow to a metre high which can impact on the other crops.”

It’s a great time of the year to create a home garden.

Eden Gardens’ new Edibles Pavilion offers a range of options for planting and growing vegies from edible wall systems and the self watering GreenSmart pots to recycled vintage apple crates.

However good looking the container might be, Andy says it’s what’s below the surface that really counts.

“With potting mix, you tend to get what you pay for,” he says.

He recommends a combination of potting mix or your own compost and cow manure to provide a range of nutrients.

With a little luck, you’ll be harvesting in no time. Vegies have never tasted so good.

More Eden Gardens, edengardens.com.au

Originally published as It’s a great time of year to get your hands dirty and grow your own fruit and vegetables