Getting the best from your organic garden

The cost of living is spiralling everywhere - fuel, housing, gas and electricity and even food and cutbacks need to be made in every household budget. So where better to start than growing your own food? It is actually a lot easier than it sounds, saves you money, is better for your health as you will be eating foods that are in season and can be done by anyone no matter the size of your house.

You can grow simple foods absolutely anywhere - a flat, bedsit, patio, garden or windowsill. All you need is space for your plant to grow and sunlight. Simple plants such as tomatoes, lettuce, spring onions, carrots and strawberries can be grown in window boxes or hanging baskets. Indeed many varieties are being introduced that have been developed specifically for pot growing. I grow all of my vegetables in containers as they are easier to move and maintain. Living in Scotland where the weather is not that predictable meant that I needed to be able to move my pots indoors at a short notice.

You also don't need to have expensive pots for your plants. Remember this is all about sustainability so look around and see what you have lying around that may be suitable. I used old baby formula tins, plastic bottle and plastic milk cartons, and even old yoghurt pots for my seedlings.

First you have to look at your environment. If you live in a cold area, like Scotland, you probably wont be able to grow plants from warmer areas such as peppers (capsicum). Then get a good grade soil, but not PEAT. Peat farming has contributed to the destruction of ecosystems and the plants and animals that live there. Make sure you know what type of soil you have in your garden so that you can get the best seeds for your soil type.

Then you need to choose your seeds. Most garden centres will have a good range of organic seeds for you to chose. And if you can't face growing from seed then many will have a range of seedlings that you can transplant immediately.

The best pest control for your garden is not environment damaging pesticides, but other insects. By encouraging ladybirds, lacewings, spiders and even wasps into your garden you can dramatically reduce the plant eating pests. Also look into green ways of slug control such as beer traps or egg shells.

Once you get into it you will find that growing your food organically is easy, relaxing and very rewarding. After all there is nothing better than fresh fruit and vegetables picked straight from your garden onto your table.