Take a positive from the credit crunch – start quantitative easing & grow vegetables!
Vegetables can be grown almost anywhere, large or small, but preferably close to home or work. If the site is not diggable, (because paved over etc), recycle a container. An old bucket, water tank or chimney pot will do.
Phyl, with a dozen colleagues from the BBC, has taken over a patch of grass behind their office. Lunchtime activities revolve round eight raised beds and talk of the growing season ahead. As well as the promise of a regular supply of fresh veg, the lure of the green gym is a draw. Digging provides exercise which pumps the heart and controls weight.
Maris has also taken over a wasted space – but without permission. She lives in a large block of city flats that are surrounded by grass.
Celery,-Basil,-Dill,-Oregan
She has planted herbs in the narrow gap between the grass and the walls. Whenever the council lawnmower appears, she rushes out to guard her patch.
The herbs include Celery, Basil, Dill, Oregano Coriander, Thyme and Rocket tucked against the brick wall. Sage, Rosemary, and parsley also grow well, but the mint is so vigorous that the lawn mower frequently trims it!
The patch supplies the family with copious fresh herbs and green leaves throughout the year.
In another town, Marianne lives in a third floor flat with a balcony like a small oasis. The lush green growth of tomatoes and squash, planted in growing bags, soften the aspect; and the vines of the squash ramble over the balcony supports. The colourful fruit provide a nutritious harvest in summer and autumn.
Growing vegetables, indoors, in pots is one way students on a tight budget can invest in the future. A pot of green salad leaves or pea shoots continuously produces new leaves which can be clipped off & eaten as & when required. This will provide a stimulus, now, to eat fresh, wholesome food. But also, will act as a stimulus in the future to expand their vegetable growing techniques. There is a wealth of information about vegetable gardening on the internet from sites such as http:/topveg.com.
Outside pots of herbs, or containers of radish, lettuce and beans are a first step to vegetable gardening. Digging up a patch of the garden to make a vegetable bed is more adventurous but worth the effort & it can be much easier than you think. It will involve changing elements of your lifestyle& spending an hour or so in the garden each week. But once the patch is made, a walk round the garden every morning or night, will keep it under control – stopping to pull a weed, or thin a row of radish.
Vegetable gardening will contribute to cost-cutting efforts on all fronts of the family budget, addressing household finance, health, food, exercise, and family leisure time. Even though cutting down on family expeditions can leave a gap, this gap may be filled with gardening activities, which are not only cash free but also tick other boxes. Growing your own leads to an interest in cooking and eating in a more healthy and adventurous way.
There are also environmental benefits. Fewer trips to the shops are needed and the vegetables themselves carry no food miles. One family member can take responsibility for composting, to deal with the green waste as well as providing a plant food for future years. Wormeries are a method of composting which can be great fun.
The present economic climate looks grim, but it is possible to take a positive, and with a slight change of lifestyle, introduce vegetable gardening to do you good and contribute to the nation’s recovery.
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