My First Year Of Gardening

Last year I decided it was finally time that I learnt how to grow my own food. Previously I had attempted to do tomatoes in grow bags which was a disaster. I woke up one morning to find my plants and grow bags scattered all over the garden by the Foxes who live under my decking, all that time and effort went to waste.

I ordered another raised metal bed, hoping that the Foxes would leave them alone, which thankfully they did. I decided to grow tomatoes, as I cook from scratch and use them in virtually every recipe I make. I took the easy option and ordered tomato plants from a well-known garden centre. Despite the poor Summer, I did well and grew lots of big tomatoes. I had to ripen a few off the vine due to the poor summer we had. September arrived and I still had large green ones, so I put them In a cardboard box with a few bananas, and by the end of the week, I had lovely ripe red ones.

The only problem was they all became ripe at once, so I had to batch cook, making large quantities of my favourite concentrated tomato cooking sauce, frozen in portions, and ready to use at a moment's notice when I am short on time. I can make many meals with this as it’s so versatile. I made so much sauce, that as I write this at start of January 2024 I still have 2 portions left, which will do 4 meals.

I grew little salad potatoes in buckets, they did far better than I thought, and I had a large crop. Next year I am growing a mixture of Salad and Rooster Potatoes, and am getting the beds ready for them now for when I plant them in March.

I have already planted one bed of Onions, and Shallots in buckets. I will plant more Tomatoes again in the Spring, and I will try and grow Hungarian White Peppers, so I am hoping for a hot Summer. I also experimented with micro-greens having great success In the brief hot weather with mung beans. (insert picture). They also sprout well and are easy to do in the winter in a glass jar to add to stir-fries.

I am now hoping for a long hot summer, something you can't count on here in England.

All photos by me