Grow Your Own - Eat Your Own!

I've been attempting to Grow My Own fresh garden produce this year after being challenged by Ice and The Organic Gardening Catalogue who kindly supplied some seeds to help get my project going.  I have got to the point where I have been able to reap what I sow and this week I was ready to see some of my produce go from pot to plate!

I was ridiculously excited when I dug down into the soil surrounding my potato plants.  As my hand plunged into the warm soil my fingers touched the first potato I have ever grown.  I actually squealed!  I pulled out potato after wonderful potato.  Their pale skin was flawless.  They were perfect little potatoes.  Grown by me in my own little garden.

It was lovely seeing an end result and we had a really good crop.  I couldn't think of anything to do with them that would be better than simply boiling them in their skins.  They were lovely and the children were happy to eat our home grown produce with their dinner.

My salad continues to grow.  Picking the leaves when they are young makes for tender, fresh and tasty accompaniments to my meals.  The assorted lettuces and the rocket add colour, texture and flavour to meals and sandwiches.  The variety of colours and shapes adds interest.  I even found a couple of radishes that had survived the caterpillars!

I never anticipated how good it would feel to grow my own produce.  To pick it and eat it!  I am definitely converted to growing my own!  Although we didn't get huge amounts of produce, we all enjoyed eating what we grew.  It added variety to our diet and the kids got to try some new things.

I have proved that you can do it even though you don't have a big garden.  You can use pots and troughs and grow bags effectively in a small space.  Recruiting the kids to help sow the seeds and pick the crops really helps them to learn about gardening, nature, where their food comes from and gives them an appreciation of the environment.  It has been a really enjoyable challenge and I will definitely be giving it a go again next year!

My 'Grow Your Own' Progress

We were away for a few days and I was so worried about leaving my plants that I am growing as part of the Ice Grow Your Own Challenge!  That was a completely new experience for me...showing concern for my little potted garden.  I needn't have worried, as although we were basking in glorious French sunshine all week long, Shropshire had quite a lot of rain.  I had moved all my pots into a more sheltered area of my garden away from direct sunlight before we left, and thanks to nature's watering, they flourished. 

My plants have all grown massively.  I have a little jungle growing! The children have pots of flowers and sunflowers which are really coming into their own. It's amazing to see Bumble Bees buzzing around, knowing we are helping them and encouraging them into our garden. The potato plants survived really well and I think it may soon be time to check under the soil to see if we have any spuds to dig out!

Just take a look at my Rocket!  It has gone from being tiny seedlings to 'ready to eat' salad!  It is my first crop ready for consumption and that makes me very excited!  I picked a few leaves to nibble on and I loved the peppery, fresh flavour.  Sowing seeds on a two weekly cycle means there is always a new row growing after you have picked some, keeping the supply of salad going through the summer.

I was a bit sad to see some of my plants had been ravaged by some hungry caterpillars.  The butterflies that the children had been admiring last week, had laid eggs onto my radishes and they had hatched and eaten most of the foliage away.  So I don't think that will be a very successful crop.  I am a bit squeamish when it comes to bugs, so I can't bring myself to remove the interlopers from my plants.  I will take solace out of the fact that I have helped feed the next generation of beautiful butterflies that my children will enjoy watching fluttering around the garden!  Sharing the gardening love with Mother Nature's hungry creatures!!

Hopefully in the next couple of weeks I will have some more home grown produce to enjoy...especially if the rain continues to keep everything well watered for me. I am continuing to take delight out of this challenge and am enjoying sharing the gardening experience with my children!