One of the huge growth (excuse the pun) areas in the garden this year is the kitchen garden. Growing your own fruit and veg is becoming dramatically more popular it seems. I think this is thanks to a number of factors. Namely it is becoming trendy thanks largely to tv programmes showing how it’s done, also people are becoming more and more concerned about what they are eating as regards chemicals etc and finally because of the cost issue. Whatever the reason it is to be encouraged and I do urge everyone to give it a go.

Globe Artichokes like this will make a dramatic addition to any kitchen garden

When it comes to cost you will be amazed at how many plants you will get from a packet of €2.00 vegetable seeds. You’ll be feeding all your friends with the freshest of veg with a bit of manure and effort. If you haven’t already started your vegetable seeds in seed trays inside earlier in the spring then do so now and when they have germinated and produced a couple of pairs of ‘true’ leaves and as the days warm up then ‘prick off’ the seedlings and pot them into individual pots and start ‘hardening them off’. If, as I say this is all new to you then please don’t be put off by any of the technical terms. Basically what it means is thin out the seedlings potting individual ones into small pots and start moving outside for a few hours each day to get them used to the outdoor climate. You will be amazed at how quickly they will be growing at this stage. Once you have acclimatise them then it’s time to plant them out into the vegetable patch which you will have prepared using lots of organic matter and good quality organic copmpost. If you have been making your own compost in a compost bin then work this into the soil as well. Add some humus into the mix by working a bag of Micro Life into the soil. This is invaluable to the soil preperation, reducing the need for watering during the summer and also helping dramatically with nutrient retention.

The range of fruit and vegetables that is available through garden centres to grow yourself is now more broad ranging than ever before, reflecting the growing interest in kitchen gardening.

Strawberry plants are easy to gorw - try them in a herb/strawberry pot. Inexpensive you will be delighted when you harvest your fresh fruit during the summer

Do make sure however when growing your own fruit and veg that you only use organic products. If it’s for the soil then use Seamungus, well rotted manure or an organic compost. If you need something to control pests and diseases later in the year, then use organic pesticides and fungicides or maybe try a Biological control. These are insects, normally microscopic, that are introduced to control the pest that maybe affecting the crops. They are normally tiny little nematodes, such as Encarsia Formosa which is introduced to control greenfly. These tiny little nematodes feed vraciously on greenfly and other aphids and will die off themselves when the greenflies are gone.  If you haven’t tried this approach before then maybe this is the year to give it a go.

The food chain begins with the garden in more ways than just growing vegetables, insects are an important part of the natural food chain in your garden for other wildlife to feed on. By keeping toxic chemicals out of your garden, you allow the beneficial wildlife to make an appearance because more often than not, these good insects are affected to a greater extent than the insect you were trying to control with a pesticide’.

Everything you need to help you grow your own fruit and veg is available delivered right to your door anywhere in Ireland through gardeningonline.ie

Growing your own fruit, veg and herbs can be very ornamental like these Chives growing with Bronze Fennel