Spring Time is Coming!

At last it really does feel like spring is almost here. With the feeling of spring in the air it is time to start thinking about what fruit and vegetables we are going to grow this year. We are very lucky to have a lovely long garden, one third of which is a dedicated veggie patch.

I cannot take credit for the wonderful area that we have got. It is all thanks to the hard work that the hubby puts in. We have four raised bed, a fruit cage, sheds, chickens and a greenhouse. Now is the time of year that we plan what vegetables we are going to grow this year. We look at what we use the most and the cost effectiveness of growing our own.

So far we have decided to grow:

• Tomatoes
• Peppers
• Aubergines
• Sprouts
• Courgettes
• Parsnips
• Broccoli
• Peas
• French Beans
• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Gooseberries
• Blueberries
• Limes

You can grow a lot of your own vegetables in your garden but greenhouses certainly do enable you to grow a wider variety of fruit and vegetables. In our greenhouse we grow tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, chillis, aubergines and even limes! We really would be lost without ours! Growing our own fruit and vegetables has saved us money and has certainly reduced our carbon footprint. But we also get a great satisfaction from eating food that we have grown ourselves. You simply cannot get any fresher, being able to go down the garden and harvest your food. Not to mention the reduction of food waste, when you pick what you need there is no waste!

Getting the children involved in gardening is not only a lovely family pastime but it also educates them about where our food comes from and the growing cycle. They get to experience planting the seeds, nurturing the seeds as they grow and finally seeing the end product cooked and eaten. We have also found that the children are more likely to try new foods, especially if they have helped to grow them. The other year we grew sugar snap peas but not one of them made it to the kitchen table as the twins kept picking them and eating them while out playing!

If you have a good area of garden I would definitely recommend looking into growing your own fruit and vegetables. Investing in a greenhouse is a must where possible. But most important of all have fun, together as a family, in the garden. Our favourite time of year is almost upon us so bring on the longer days, sunny weather, barbecues and homegrown food!

Enjoy x

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post