Gardening: How to grow your own even if you don't have enough space

Anyone can grow their own produce, from leafy vegetables to chili peppers.

You might think that growing your own vegetables and herbs at home requires a vast backyard and a green thumb, but Kate Humble couldn’t oppose it anymore.

“There are many things you can grow even if you have a window,” says Nature Presenter and Cookbook Author with excitement. “”[There is] I am very pleased to offer some of my own food. ”

Humble, best known for showing shows such as Countryfile and Springwatch, lives on a farm in Wales.

She grows her own produce and raises livestock, but she still says.

“So instead of thinking,’Oh my god, I have to be self-sufficient,’ I would say to anyone, whether they have a garden or not. Perfect at a local farmer’s store. You can buy delicious carrots at, or at the supermarket. But if you need purple carrots, for example, grow them. ”

However, growing some of your own produce has some other obvious benefits. “That’s nice,” Humble enthusiastically said. “If you grow it yourself, the taste will be extraordinary-it hasn’t been chilled and hasn’t been stored for years. It’s as fresh as possible.”

Humble says he can take part in the action even if he doesn’t have enough space. These are her suggestions on what to grow at home …

Herbs and leafy vegetables

“It’s very expensive to buy in a supermarket, but in reality, it’s really, really easy to grow,” she says. “I’m thinking of coriander, flat leaf parsley, dill, etc. for any kind of salad or leafy vegetable. These kinds of herbs are very effective. Chervil is very hard to find in the store, but grow Is very easy. ”

She recommends reusing old plastic boxes (something like tomatoes and fruits come in). “Keep the plastic box, put the soil in it, push it down a little and put the seeds on the little soil-not so much,” Humble advises. “Sprinkle some water on top and put it on the windowsill and the microherbs will grow. The microherbs will grow very fast and will be available in about 10 days. And will come back.”

Kale, spinach, and other leafy vegetables are also easy to plant at home, Humble says. “It’s great to have fresh greens at this time of the year, or at any time of the year.”

Salads and herbs tend to come in plastic bags, so there are additional benefits-“not environmentally friendly,” says Humble.

Chile

“I love growing chili peppers, they are everywhere,” she says. “I’m definitely [try growing them] If you are a little chili demon.

“Once again, it doesn’t make much sense to grow something that’s easy to buy, or something that’s relatively cheap to buy.”-So she “if you have a particular kind of pepper that you really like.” We encourage you to give it a try.

carrot

According to Humble, if you want to grow your own carrots (such as orange), you can definitely do it if you have limited space.

“If you have a balcony, you can grow carrots in a bucket,” she says.

Foraging

This isn’t technically growing your own produce, but Humble is a big advocate for foraging to get fresh produce. Her friend taught her that there are many edible foods that are everywhere-“you don’t have to be a large botanical expert,” she says. “And you don’t have to go beyond your garden.”

She recommends Ground Elder-“I hate all gardeners because they consider it the most invasive and nightmare weed”-but it was actually introduced as a vegetable by the Romans. , She says. Humble people call it “great-it’s like spinach, you can put it in a stew”.

Other foraging picks in Humble include honeysuckle (in ice cream) and tulip leaves (“bean-like taste”).

She says there is something “really, really satisfying” in foraging.

Home Cooked: Recipes From The Farm by Kate Humble is published by Gaia for £ 25. Photo by Andrew Montgomery. Currently available.