When One Bed Is All You Need

If you think that you need to have a large garden or allotment to grow food plants, think again.

If you have ever wanted to experiment with growing your own veg, spring is a great time to start. And the benefits can be plentiful. According to a study at the University of Florida, USA, students who had grown vegetables when they were young, or who were still gardening as students, were likely to eat more portions of fruit and vegetables than students who had never gardened.

The key, however, was being actively involved. Students who had only seen their parents grow fruit and veg but not taken part themselves did not eat more fruit and veg in college.1

This may be because of familiarity; studies show that children are more likely to eat foods that they are familiar with — and nothing gets us closer to food than growing our own. Other non-nutritional benefits include getting out in the fresh air, physical activity and lower stress levels. Some people have found that gardening, whether or not to grow produce, can also help to reduce anxiety or depression.

Size doesn’t matter

Huw Richards, author of Veg In One Bed: How to Grow an Abundance of Food in One Raised Bed, Month by Month, says that it isn’t necessary to have a large garden or allotment. He also says that, surprisingly, we do not even need lots of sunshine to be able to grow some kind of food plant.

Getting started

According to Richards, whilst there are specific times to start off some plants, it can be more flexible for others. “The best months for sowing seeds range from February until August; but you plant garlic in November, for example,” he says. Many fast-growing crops such as lettuce, turnips and radish, he says, will be ready to harvest in less than two months from sowing.

And if you have a busy schedule, you shouldn’t be deterred. Choosing easy growing vegetables and keeping it to a minimum will make your kitchen garden more manageable.