The No-Nonsense Guide to Growing Fruits and Vegetables

The No-Nonsense Guide to Growing Fruit and Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables pack a powerful, healthy punch. Filled with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, delivered from nature’s backyard. So it’s common sense to incorporate them into your daily diet. Growing your varieties is a satisfying pastime. Don’t delay. Dig for your health today!

Fruits

Seasonal varieties are plump, juicy and flavorsome. There are lots of different varieties. Hedgerow berries like blackberries, gooseberries and redcurrants. Tree varieties like plums, pears and apples. Or grapes fresh from the vine. Ensure you can provide the right conditions to yield a bumper crop.

Vegetables

Like their fruity friends, vegetables are many and varied too. Courgettes, marrows, pumpkins and squashes. Carrots, onions, parsnips and swede. Cauliflower, sprouts, broccoli and kale. As the earth erupts with carrots, you’ll delight in the orange volcano of goodness!

Seasonal Varieties

Every type of fruit and vegetable has its natural growing season. This is the time of year they are ripe for harvesting. It’s important to know when your crop is ripe for picking. Mix and match your crop. This way, you will produce different varieties at different times of the year. However, this will necessitate caring for your varieties at different times of the season too.

Space

You don’t need acres of space to grow fruit and vegetables. A window box or plant pot is suitable for some. When choosing your crop determine how wide and high they will grow. Reduce the number to accommodate space you have. Allow ample room for the vegetable and fruit to take shape. Overcrowding an area will compromise the maturity of the finished result.

Equipment

You don’t need to spend lots of money on equipment. Buy or borrow the basic garden tools. A trowel, spade, fork and watering can create a rudimentary kit to get you started. Support canes and twine help to keep slender or heavy crops upright. As your hobby progresses, invest in more sophisticated gadgetry as required.

Deter Pests

Don’t compromise your organic harvest by dousing it in pet and pest repellents. Find natural ways to protect your patch. Netting will deter neighborhood cats from compromising the soil. Install a homemade scarecrow to scare away greedy birds. Polytunnels keep out harsh elements like rain, wind or scorching heat. Remain vigilant for any unwanted intruders. A good old-fashioned ‘shout’ will set many creatures scurrying!

Recipes

A delicious fruit crumble. A steaming pastry-topped vegetable pie. A warming winter stew. Or a cool summer berry pudding. Get creative! There are recipes to suit everyone. There are arthritis recipes, coeliac recipes, or even Thickit.com dysphagia recipes to name but a few. Let nature’s produce improve your health and delight in the benefits it affords. By growing your own, you have more control over what goes into your ingredients.

Over-Yield

As a first-time planter, it will be difficult to estimate how much of your planted crop will succeed. It is tempting to compensate for any failures by planting too much. Having too much produce all at once is a frustration for any gardener. Make jam to preserve fruits for longer. Pickle vegetables likewise. Give away to friends and neighbors. Don’t let your hard work go to waste!

Nutritious and wholesome, fruits and vegetables support many different illnesses and health disorders. And help others from developing.

Image courtesy of morgueFile. 

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