GROW YOUR OWN FOOD!
Liven up your meals – and living space – with edible greens
You don’t need a farm or even a backyard to have a crack at growing your own food, according to River Cottage Australia host Paul West.
“It’s amazing what you can grow in pots on a sunny windowsill or in a courtyard,” he says. “A container garden will also reduce your food waste – when you have ingredients like herbs and leafy greens on hand, you only pick what you need, rather than buying a whole bunch for a few leaves and watching the rest turn into a green sludge in the crisper.”
Here are Paul’s expert tips to start your foodgrowing adventure...
PRIME POSITION
When it comes to choosing a place to grow food, not all spots are created equal. Most food plants need at least six hours of direct sunlight a day to thrive, which means that a south-facing windowsill or courtyard is out. The ideal spot for growing faces roughly between north and south, as this allows for plenty of gentle, year-round sun.
POTS & CONTAINERS
Any size you can fit in your space will do the trick, but I’d recommend they’re at least 15cm deep and have holes in the bottom for drainage. I also like to add a thin layer of coarse gravel to the bottom of my pots to ensure excess water can drain away freely.
Larger plants like tomatoes or chillies are best planted by themselves in a bigger pot, while herbs and greens can be grown solo in smaller pots or together in larger pots.
It’s also a good idea to sit the pots in a tray or saucer to capture any runoff after watering.
POTTING MIX
When you’re growing on n this micro scale it’s best t to use a high-quality potting mix. Using regular soil can lead to disease and pest problems, so seek out a potting mix (preferably organic) that is specifically designed for growing plants in containers and has been enriched with compost or manures rather than slow-release chemicals.
It’s important not to skimp on this one – buy the best potting mix you can find because your plants will later embody it.
MAINTENANCE
When growing plants in small containers you have to be very conscious of the limited supply of f th the t two things thi ( (other th th than sunshine) a plant needs to survive – food and water.
Staying on top of watering is extra important if you’re growing your plants on a sunny windowsill – indoor environments tend to have low humidity, and plants and potting mixes can dry out very quickly.
As a rule of thumb, give your plants a little water every other day. The best test is to push your finger down into the soil – if it feels moist 2cm below the surface, there is adequate water. And give your plants a feed with an organic liquid fertiliser every fortnight or so to keep them happy.