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GROW YOUR OWN

There's no black art to growing your own, just some basic rules to follow.  If you know how to read a recipe, you know how to cook - sure a good cook knows how to get the most out of a recipe and add that je ne sais pas, but even a rank amateur can produce a half decent plate of food.  Rather like a plate of food, the better the ingredients, the better the result.

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Start off with the medium - the soil.  Raised beds are definitely preferable to straight in the ground.  They are much more manageable and less back breaking.  If you're starting from scratch get a good multi purpose soil which can be delivered by the lorry load or smaller 700kg bags.  If it's an existing bed then a good mulch on top.  Avoid digging over too much as all you will be doing is giving dormant weed seeds the chance to grow.  

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If you are adding mulch just use a hoe and to deal with the weeds and lay the mulch on top.  

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 The most important thing to do is have a plan.  Read the seed packet as you would a recipe and sow accordingly.  The things to watch out for are

  • Overcrowding

  • Direction of the sun

  • Wind

  • Height

  • Spreading

  • Complimentary planting 

  • Sowing frequency 

Putting courgette plants next dwarf beans, putting tomato plants in a north facing spot.  Mixing up the planting avoids getting too many of one pest in one place.  Make sure you plant little and often.  You want to have a good variety vegetables and good seasonality so you have produce all year round

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