Many people and organisations are pleading with us all to live a more sustainable life for the future of our planet. There are only a finite amount of resources on our earth which are depleting rapidly due our current rate of consumption. One way we can live a more sustainable life is to grow and eat our own food. Buying food may not initially seem like it would have a huge impact on the environment however, energy and resources used to package, transport and grow these foods can really impact the environment.
Now no one is expecting you to pack in your job and set up a farm in the country, but there are some foods that are seriously easy to grow, cheap yet healthy and delicious too. Read on for Sustainable Living 101: 5 of the Easiest Foods to Grow in Your Garden!
Growing fruits and vegetables in your garden, balcony or (with some fruits and veg) even on your window sill, is easy to do so we’ve picked the easiest ones for even absolute beginners to have a go at home grown produce!
1. Salad Leaves
A perfect starter for your sustainable living projects and have in your garden or kitchen window top. All you have to do is plant the seeds and keep them watered. The great thing is that once they are grown you can just cut as needed. Never have an old bag of slimey, gooey salad languishing at the back of your fridge ever again!
2. Potatoes
A garden is probably the best option for this home growing project. Potatoes are best grown in potato bags, bins or most commonly, the ground. Watch out for green shoots and don’t forget to cover with soil. They also need to be well watered. Potatoes are a great thing to have in your garden as they can be the base of many meals, and their precious carbohydrate energy is the stuff that, point blank gets your motor running!
If you are stuck for space or feeling really adventurous try out this method of growing potatoes in a bucket!
3. Radish
A perfect, quick-growing colourful vegetable to add to your salads or pickle for winter. Radishes are really easy to grow in either containers or small areas. Perfect for a little garden patch or balcony. They also come in all different colours and varieties so if you love your radishes, get creative!
4. Tomatoes
What can’t you do with tomatoes!? They are perfect for salads, rich sauces, sandwich fillers, the list goes on and on. The best bit is that you can grow beautiful tomatoes in something as simple as a hanging basket and pluck beautiful, juicy tomatoes straight from the basket for your lunch or dinner. The best thing about growing tomatoes is they are quick, easy and ideal for newbie gardeners to start growing!
5. Spring Onions
Another ideal perfect starter. Perfect for growing in the ground or in pots. They are also very low maintenance, because if you let them flower then they will self seed for your next batch! How amazing is that? Spring onions are great for salads, stir fried or charred, with broad beans, olive oil, hazelnuts and a vinaigrette dressing for a summer side dish.
