There is nothing more satisfying than stepping out into your garden and picking something fresh for lunch. Eating peas out the pod, picking strawberries and pulling up carrots are all great back to basics activities you can enjoy as a family.
It tastes so much better than the supermarket, is cheaper and is a brilliant way to involve your children in nature and food preparation.
I have been growing vegetables and the odd fruit for about 5 years now but without all that much thought or effort. Last year I bought some raised beds, planted an Apple tree for J’s 1st birthday and want to expand my vegetable patch.
So I was excited when MyGardenSchool asked if I wanted to take an online course in Edible Gardening Made Easy. The course ran over 4 weeks with videos, course notes, professional guidance and assignments. It covered setting up your garden, sowing and nuturing your crops, and growing fruit and vegetables through the seasons.
It has definitely given me some useful information and inspiration. It is great to take part online as it meant I could take it at own pace, get personalised feedback and also see other people’s comments and assignments.
Here are my three steps to creating an easy edible garden:
1. Keep it simple
There is no point trying to be overambitious or grow prize winning asparagus in your first year. What do you enjoy eating? What costs a lot at the supermarket? What doesn’t need too much time and attention to get right? Start off simply and once you start seeing results you can expand your horizons.
2. Cheat a little bit
I don’t have a greenhouse and don’t enjoy trying to start seedlings off on my windowsill so anything that can’t be planted directly in the ground – like tomatoes and cucumber – I buy as small plants from the garden centre. Think about starting a herb pot or buying some salad plants to ease you in gently.
3. Learn from your mistakes
Last year all my salad leaves got eaten, my broccoli didn’t grow and I managed one corn on the cob from 4 plants! But my carrots tasted great, my apples flourished and the peas were delicious raw or cooked. So this year I have focused on the things that worked and just added a few new additions – rasberries, cucumber and basil, so it is not too difficult to manage.
Great garden recipes
Eating your own food is such a great feeling so here are a few recipes that you could try out:
What are your top tips for growing an edible garden? What do you love making with your produce?
Disclosure: I was provided with a place on the MyGardenSchool course for the purpose of this post. The thoughts and words are my own.
Happy to be linking up with Honest Mum #tastytuesdays & #brilliantblogposts , Let’s Talk Mommy #sharewithme, Super Busy Mum #madmidweekbloghop, Modern Dad Pages #foodporthursdays, Coombe Mill #countrykids
This is something i aspire to but only have got as far as herbs. Maybe when my boys are older!! #MMWBH
Oops, think it was #sharewithme
I think herbs are a great place to start as they are so expensive to buy!
This is so lovely! I dont have a garden but a small terrace but I try to plant on pots and we have tomato and I am waiting for my strawberry and eggplant. Its so amazing to eat something that you have grown! Everything taste better =) #mmwbh
I think it’s great to grow things, however small the space. You’re right, everything does taste better!
Great post lovely!
A couple of tips from me would be…
Car boot sales are a great place to pick up plantlings ready to chuck straight into the ground if you don’t have a greenhouse to start them off
I have a great cultivated blackberry which has no thorns that I picked up from a bargain corner in a discount shop. It didn’t fruit the first year but I have had some amazing crops from it since and blackberry jam a plenty!
Don’t forget the sunflowers. I know they aren’t really an edible garden plant but the kids love to grow them and see who’s is the tallest. And of course, they look fabulous scattered amongst the veg!
Keep up the great work lovely xx
Thanks for the fab tips, always love a bargain! My sunflower seeds have been sitting in the kitchen for months but you’re right, such a great way to get kids interested and they look so pretty.
Great tips. It just shows how hard it can be to get veg to grow without being eaten early by garden beasts or killed off by the weather. Like the bit about cheating! We have a lovely city garden so I am looking forward to spending more time in it with our toddler once he is old enough to concentrate on planting some veg 🙂
#brilliantblogposts
My two year old loves to dig and ‘help’ but also wants to jump on all the veg as well!! He enjoyed eating the peas out the pod last year though and think he will be even more interested when this crop grows.
This year I’m afraid I have given up! After growing quite a bit for the past 10 years or so I have decided not to this year. Not much was successful last year and it always seems to come when we are on holiday and then everything dies!!! We bought a campervan in May and plan to be away a lot this summer so I decided to plant over the ‘veg patch’ – which was looking very scruffy for most of the year and enjoy a pretty garden instead. I still have herbs though! I wouldn’t give them up!!!
Oh no! No point doing it if it’s not fun though. Enjoy your camper van. My parents got one last year and love it.
Great ideas. Just getting into a bit of gardening and growing now. Found strawberries, potatoes, rosemary and mint already growing from previous house owners! Might add to it now. Beetroot and carrot looks easy enough.
I love it when you discover something that’s already been planted! Yeah, I think carrots and beetroot and really easy and good places to start.
This is so inspiring, we are growing lots in our garden too but I want to expand, I’d love an allotment too one day. Thanks for linking up to #tastytuesdays x
Thanks, I do love growing things in the garden and there’s something about the idea of at least being semi-self sustainable that is so appealing.
I planted a garden for the first time this year. Mostly herbs, peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers. It was so fun to get the kids involved and my 5 year old takes great pride in watering the garden every day. Good luck with your harvest 😀 and thanks for sharing this with #momsterslink
Good luck with it! It’s so great to see the kids get into it too.
This is amazing. I have always wanted to grow my own garden but I tend to kill everything I try to grow not fair. Looks amazing. Thank you so much for linking up to Share With Me. Hope to see you again tomorrow for another great round. #sharewithme
Thanks Jenny. I only do the simple stuff!!