Building a Veg Patch

Now growing vegetables to me is something I have always just been able to do, putting the main elements together to be able to produce fruit or veg to take back into my kitchen and cook. Simple!

For some people however, taking on the task of building a vegetable plot and growing their own food is something they have never done before. So this blog is to help those people gain a little understanding of those key elements to then go onto to produce home grown food for themselves and their family.

Growing at home or an allotment is so popular at the moment, especially with the price of produce at supermarkets which is incredibly tasteless, grown out of season and mostly outside of Great Britain.

So here are the factors you need to think about when starting your fruit and vegetable patch.

Choosing the right spot

Your plot needs to be light and airy with plenty of sun light throughout the day.

It should be south facing. Avoid areas with trees and large fences which will potentially shelter the area.

If the plot is open and exposed you will need to consider some kind of wind break position to block the wind, maybe a small fence, hedge or wall.

Access and Water

Your plot should have good access so that not only is it not too far away from your home, but you can easily reach it and get a wheel barrow to it.  If you are buying in things like soil improver or topsoil you will need to think about vehicle access too!

Also water, is there water near to the plot or will you have to take water to it, if so how will you do it and can you easily do it.

If you are mainly growing in pots then you wont need to worry about this section too much. Just ensure you are using the best compost you can buy that has been specifically designed for fruit and veg and contains the correct balance of nutrients and the best structure to help promote healthy growth.

Soil is the anchor for your plants, it holds water, air and nutrients to make plants grow.

From clay to sand all soil types will be suitable to grow some fruit and veg successfully and others not so!

Clay holds nutrients well but is heavy slow to warm up, it also holds the water. Sandy soils are lighter and easily eroded, the lack of substance means its ability to hold nutrients is poor.

Sadly you can't choose which your soil type is but you can improve it's nutrient content and improve the quality. You can use things such as kitchen waste like vegetable peelings or well rotted manure.

Also a great idea is to buy soil improver's or compost which you mix into the soil plant beds from around February.