GROW YOUR OWN FRUIT & VEGETABLES
Here at Cottage Farm Nurseries, we have everything you need to ‘grow your own’ fruit and vegetables.
Whether you have a large, spacious garden or just a window-sill, everyone can grow their own fresh fruit and vegetables.
If you don’t have room for a separate vegetable plot, you can combine with other flowers for a beautiful display.
Climbing vegetables are ideal if you are short of space for example runner beans or cucumbers. Of course, it is also possible to grow a huge range of vegetables and herbs in pots and containers. Hanging baskets are perfect for tumbling tomatoes or herbs such as parsley or thyme.
Nearly all herbs can be grown in pots or containers on the windowsill and theres nothing quite like cooking with fresh herbs. Strawberries are fantastic in window-boxes or hanging baskets and are so easy to grow therefore excellent for the novice gardener. They are very quick to produce fruit. All they need, is the sunniest spot in the garden and plenty of water.
Redcurrant shrubs grow to about 5ft tall but they can be trained to fit into any space so they are perfect for large and small gardens. They just need to be planted out of direct sunlight
Rhubarb is incredibly easy to grow and you can plant in either the garden or perhaps in a large container such as a barrel. If possible, Rhubarb should be grown in full sun to get the best yield. Rhubarb is very hardy and needs little attention but BEWARE, the leaves of Rhubarb are poisonous!!!
Raspberries are easy to grow, the only major need for a raspberry plant is moist soil. October is the best month to plant raspberries. Summer fruiting raspberries will need support during the growing season i.e canes.
Of course, you could plant a fruit tree if you have the space. Cottage Farm Nurseries stock a wide variety of fruit trees such as apple, pear, plum or apricot.
Salad crops can be grown in containers and are very fast-growing. Courgettes, which are slower-growing, are great in pots although the container needs to be quite large. Sweet pepper plants are perfect for pots too.
Combine herbs and vegetables with flowers like nasturtiums to add colour. If you decide to plant in pots and containers though, it is essential to keep them well watered.
If you are lucky enough to have a large garden or allotment , the possibilities are endless and you could have a year round stock of fresh fruit vegetables.
You can plant in traditional rows or you could plant in blocks. Perhaps mix in other annuals such as ‘French Marigolds’ to add some colour. Raised beds can make planting and harvesting a lot easier and can also make the plot look more interesting.
Potatoes and carrots can be grown in a vegetable plot but are also fantastic in a large, deep container such as a barrel.
Some crops, such as celery, are best grown close together so are suitable for both a large and small garden.
Get the children involved too, from planting to harvesting. They will love picking their own vegetables which they have grown and you never know, it may encourage them to eat more greens!!