Do Your Bit!
From the mass media to the lady at the village shop, we hear almost every day that we should be ‘reducing, reusing and recycling’. often these can come across as a bit out of our reach, for instance; solar panels or buying an eco car. the reality is however that most of us can’t afford these things. luckily that doesn’t mean we cant do anything.
From very early times people have always been drawn to the attraction of organic home grown food, the egyptians did it, people before them most likely did it, and we do it. And it is one of the key ways in which we can all take little steps to make our existence a little greener. If we all had a vegetable garden the reduction of bought fruit and veg – that is often shipped in from over seas thus using fossil fuels – would be dramatic!
Not only is the vegetable garden a great ‘bottom up’ way of helping making our world a nice place to live in and reducing carbon emmisions, but it is incredibly simple to do. whether you have 2 acres or 2 square yards, it is possible to find something to fit the space. whether it be a few pots with herbs in, to a couple of larger pots with tomatoes or beans in, to a full planted vegetable garden.
Unlike most ways of saving the environment, planting your own vegetable plot will actually save you money in the short term as well as making your garden a nicer place for you to be, and for pollinating insects such as butterflies to live. think of all the times you have been in the supermarket buying packets of fruit and veg such as tomatoes, strawberries or blackberries. now imagine the amount of money you could save just by planting a row of maybe 4 tomato plants, bearing in mind each will produce dozens of tomatoes in a season.
So what do you need to get started? well, it is very simple indeed, even with a couple of pots, some compost and some small tomato plants you are well on your way to growing your own. all this comes very cheaply at your local garden centre, and you should begin getting your money back very soon. most veg you buy at the supermarket can be grown at home relatively simply, just ask your local garden centre for advice.
The final point I think about vegetable plants in gardens is that they usually fit in very well with other plants and even on their own they look very pretty. and of course they don’t have to be kept outside in the garden. one plant i have found that is very easy to grow and look after is a chilli plant. these chilli plants are usually about £1 from garden centres if you buy them after they have already germinated, but cheaper (per plant) if you just buy the seeds. they are very aesthetically pleasing plants and don’t take up much room, and produce dozens of chilli on each plant.
