Growing vegetables in the garden

I have been planning a vegetable garden for several years now. I have a suitable plot of land close to the garage but it was overgrown and I have only cleared it in patches and last year was able to grow some salad crops in an area of about 2 square metres.

This year, with the help of a friend, I now have 6 raised beds of around 4 square metres each! The wood came from an old summer house which had to be demolished after the roof fell in.

I do not pretend to be anything other than an enthusiastic amateur but I am certainly enjoying growing vegetables. I have one bed devoted to salad crops, rocket, salad leaves, spring onions, radish and carrots.

One contains herbs. So there is mint, parsley, coriander, basil, lemon balm, chives and watercress.

One is given over to potatoes and onions and one to fruit, containing gooseberry and blackcurrant bushes and some melons, still with room to spare, hopefully for raspberries and blueberries.

Another contains celery, chard, courgettes and cabbages and the final one has beetroot, calabrese, brussels sprouts and leeks. I am growing peas and beans in the border along the fence.

I chose to use a mixture of seeds for economy and ready grown plants for instant results but I hope to grow from seed next year. I think there will be enough to keep my family of 6 fed over the summer months and I plan to plant some crops for over winter and sow seeds in Autumn for an early start next year.

This vegetable garden is certainly a step up for me from my previous attempts at growing vegetables and I am sure I will get a lot of pleasure from it as well as lots of produce.