Audrey Miller's Blog

GROWING YOUR OWN

02-01-2009

In the first of a regular series of articles Audrey Miller discusses her desire to redduce her carbon footprint - by growing her own fruit and veg.

New year resolutions are something of a bore I know and invariably I lose interest before spring. I need some kind of “big brother” watching over me to check I am really keeping up my resolve. Then I thought if I tell Stirrer readers about it I would have to keep my resolution.

This New Year resolution is all about my desire to do something to reduce my carbon footprint. I hit on the idea of reducing food miles. Nothing could be more drastic than growing my own food. My logic being that from kitchen windowsill to plate is virtually zero distance and from my back garden to table just a few yards more. The challenge is to eat at least one item of food that I have grown every day.

But then I realised I would need to cheat to some extent for the next couple of months and use the produce I grew last year in my allotment. This is now stored in jams, pickles and frozen form. I shall have to dilute my ambitious aim to feed on home grown once a week for the time being, but by spring I hope I can share my news of the cropping successes.

Today I have set up my ‘sprouting garden’ in a jar on the window with mung beans in soak ready for a home grown stir-fry featuring bean sprout by the end of week one.

Outside last October (but you could join in the experiment if you start soon.) I have begun to prepare my no dig vegetable space. I took off a narrow strip of lawn and laid cardboard on the bare soil then covered with a thick layer of lawn mowing then an even thicker layer of compost made from kitchen waste made during the year. The theory is that the earthworms will do the work and come spring I will be able to plant vegetables in my new growing space.

Over the years I have gradually been increasing the food production of our suburban garden by planting fruit amongst my beloved flowers. The borders now host blackberries, blackcurrant, raspberries, strawberries, rhubarb, gooseberries, redcurrants, tayberries, herbs galore and a kiwi which stubbornly refuses to fruit. But I will keep you posted if 2009 is the year of success.

Even if you are not into climate change and carbon reduction there is another very good reason to grow your own. That is that fruit and veg are just so beautiful when freshly picked.

EVER TRIED GROWING YOUR OWN FRUIT AND VEG? TELL US WHAT WORKS AND WHAT DOESN'T ON THE STIRRER FORUM