VEGGING OUT

Veg is good for you!  If I’ve said this once, I’ve said it a million times to the other half who hates anything remotely green or healthy.  His veggie repertoire centres largely around the three Ps – peas, potatoes and parsnips.  Anything else is subject to debate. 

 

The joy of veg

But in my world a garden is incomplete without a small corner for growing fruit or veg, even more so now that the price of everything is so high. 

Take a gander at my coriander – seeds successfully germinated in an old loo roll middle.  I cook a lot of curries and coriander leaf/seeds are a staple ingredient of most recipes so to save some pennies, I’m growing my own. 

 

Growing my own coriander in loo rolls

Did you know you can also freeze coriander leaf?    Pick when fresh, chop up finely then put it in small bags or pots to freeze.  Add straight from the freezer when cooking.  Amazing!  I stumbled across this top money saving tip when searching for something else online so am giving it a try with some I bought earlier.  If this works then fresh parsley will also be added to my list of herbs to freeze as parsley is also quite easy to grow and widely used when cooking.

 

Coriander leaf can be frozen

What else have I got growing in my little veggie patch?  As I’ve only got a single veg bed then it’s half fruit and half veggies. 

My blackcurrant bush is doing very well in its sunny corner. 

 

Blackcurrants - so easy to grow

For its first year it’s already covered in flowers and as us gardeners know, flowers usually mean fruits will follow.  Blackcurrants are quite easy, fuss free fruit bushes to grow.  Less pruning than blackberry plants which can get quite messy rambling all over the place scruffily, blackcurrant bushes are more shrubby or compact in their growing habit.  If you don’t have a dedicated veggie area in your garden, a blackcurrant bush wouldn’t look out of place in a large patio planter or a corner of a flower bed.

 

Rhubarb crumble coming soon

King Charles is not the only one with a crown these days.  The rhubarb crowns I planted on the shadier side of the veg bed have settled in and are slowly displaying signs of growth but when I say slow growing I mean it’s like watching paint dry.  I’ve stopped checking them daily.

 

Pot grown tomato plants

Tomatoes are another regular feature in the curry cook book so these too have been added to the mix.  These were not grown from seed as I only wanted 5 plants but have already shot up since they first went in to the planters. 

Under the propagators I have sown carrots and dwarf French beans to complete this year’s veggie ensemble. 

Incubating beans and carrots

Beans have popped up under the cover

And in a tiny little corner next to the garden path, I've planted a few strawberries.  Strawberries are another easy fruit to grow ideal for patio pots or small sunny spaces like this one.  Over time these plants should fill this space and almost grow wild with minimal intervention from me.

Strawberries starting to flower