When I was little one of my favourite things to do was help my granddad in his vegetable garden. I spent many a happy hour, tending to the strawberry plants, harvesting pea pods, and pulling up potatoes and carrots. Although I am definitely not very green fingered, it always fascinated me that something that you can grow from a tiny seed can become something tasty to eat. I vowed that when I got my own home the first thing I would do would be to plant a vegetable plot.
Several years on, I am now a happy new home owner, still with the ambitious dreams of a vegetable patch to wow my neighbours with, unfortunately though living in a garden less flat!
Now I am not one to be beaten, and am always trying to pursue my dreams so decided that the little matter of not having a garden would not hinder my green fingered ambitions – so I took over any available window sill space I could find!
Now I am sure my new neighbours are probably questioning what I am up too but I am ecstatic with the results! In the photo you can see my 5 tomato plants, 2 red pepper plants, 2 yellow pepper plans, my chilli plant, basil, oregano, chives, parsley, mint and rocket! I feel like a proud parent happily watering my little plant babies every day and checking how much they have grown overnight. Unfortunately my boyfriend was not so impressed as I bounded in early waking him up one morning to inform that the first tomato had appeared!
It just goes to show, that even in the smallest of spaces with a little bit of sunlight, water and tender loving care you can still become the green fingered gardener you once aspired to be.
Growing your own needs no fancy tools or equipment, nor do you need to be Alan Titchmarsh to join in the fun. Just a packet of your chosen seed, some lovely compost (preferably peat-free) and a pot to grow them in – infact you don’t even need a pot. I couldn’t keep up with my ever growing jungle and had to salvage any means possible to accommodate my new family. I have discovered cake tubs, ends of juice bottles and pasta sauce containers make perfect pots for growing my crop!
Window ledge farming (as I like to call it) is a great way for us city folk to reconnect with nature. Growing your own helps you learn where your food comes from, saves you a bit of money and allows you to share in the joy of watching something grow from seed to lunch!
Once you have harvested your gorgeously grown fruit, vegetables and herbs remember to visit the Love Food Hate Waste website for some scrumptious recipes to turn your hard grown work into!
