Pick of the Crops

A keen amateur since childhood, and erstwhile professional gardener, my philosophy is simple : Everyone should do it, because everyone can - and it is very good for you in so many ways!

Gardening is an extremely worthwhile activity, which can be undertaken on any scale - no matter how small - and nobody is a beginner for long. I can think of no other hobby or pastime which notches-up so many benefits at such little cost. Fresh air, exercise, stimulation of all the senses - good for the body, mind and soul - and your very own rewards to enjoy, whether they be flowers, fruits or vegetables - or all 3.

Nothing can beat harvesting your own crops … and nothing tastes better.

In my professional endeavours, and through my website and weekly radio broadcast on Black Diamond 107.8FM, I constantly remind people that lack of space is not an excuse. You don’t even need a garden! It is quite possible to reap substantial harvests from window boxes, or similar containers. Empty tins, basins, buckets and pots are prime candidates. An “Oor Wullie” size bucket, for example, can amply provide enough growing space for a small crop of potatoes!

Don’t believe me? Try it for yourself. Have a leisurely look through my “bucket” pages, then put it to the test. And remember - you can grow crops and flowers in containers all the year round, because these mini gardens are mobile. They can be moved around to seek shelter in winter, and full sun in summer.

Not so common now, but of course, in the days when sailors spent long months at sea, surviving on a diet of dried grains and salted meat, because perishable fruit and veg could not be stored for such long periods, it became a serious problem.

So it’s easy to see - and all the more important to understand - why a well balanced diet is so important. If you fall down on any of the vital vitamins, you put your health at risk. No better place to keep everything well balanced than in your allotment - or a square yard of precious ground in your very own backyard! Most of your vitals can be sourced from your garden - and if you have space to keep a few hens .. Or a pig or a goat - so much the better!

For those of you who are lucky enough to have a garden to cultivate - or better still, an allotment plot - I also have much to share.

As the sainted Mr Titchmarsh was once heard to say - “When planning your garden, be sure to keep an acre aside for woodland, and wild flowers.” I imagine that most of us will not have to worry about such things!