Consumer Corner: Top tips on how to start growing your own vegetables at home

The founder of Grow It Yourself and presenter of Grow Cook Eat, Michael Kelly, says people should not be afraid to start growing their own vegetables.

“Growing your own food really isn’t that scary as things go,” he says.

“Sure, things might not grow properly but, in the scheme of the problems we face as a world, that’s not such a big deal.

“Seeds want to grow, and they know what to do next.

“For now, your job is to stick them in the soil and watch them grow.”

Michael’s first tip is finding the time to start and getting the space, however small that might be.

“Yes, it will take some time — but what would you rather do: Slouch in front of the telly while doom-scrolling on social media or get out of your head and into your hands with some mindful seed sowing or weeding?

“As with all things in life, we have a choice about where to spend the time we have.”

Michael says that even if you don’t have much space, you can still make it work.

“I know a guy who grew €900 worth of veg on a 5m squared apartment balcony in pots and containers.

“It’s a life skill and, like any life skill worth having, it takes time to master it.

“So start small and give your knowledge a chance to catch up with your enthusiasm.”

The good news is that growing your own food is not a hobby where you don’t have to spend lots of money to start.

On a basic level, you need seeds and something to grow them in, Michael adds.

This includes some good, peat-free potting compost and something to put the compost in.

For smaller scale growing that could be seed trays, pots, containers or even an upcycled colander, pair of wellies, a Belfast sink.

For a slightly bigger scale, buy or build a timber raised bed.

“You can buy seeds in loads of places these days — such as garden centres, in supermarkets, online.

“We sell starter kits on GIY.ie.

“It’s really only if you move beyond the container growing phase that you might need to buy some basic tools like a trowel, spade, fork, and rake.

“A hoe is a mighty way to stay on top of weeding if you have a larger area to manage.

“Don’t waste money on gloves, get your hands dirty — it’s good for the soul.”

Michael says that for anyone growing inside a sunny windowsill, indoors is basically like a greenhouse, it’s ideal for getting seeds going and growing plants like tomatoes that like some heat.

He says most herbs will do very well indoors.

“Try parsley, thyme, coriander, mint, lemon balm, sage and basil.

“You can grow a serious array of interesting salad leaves in pots or trays pretty much all year round indoors.

“Focus on quick growing leaves like mustard, mizuna, pak choi or rocket.

“Or grow peas to eat as shoots in salads or stir fries.”

Moving outdoors to a small garden, he says a raised bed can be a good idea.

“Raised beds can be any size and shape you want, but they should never be more than 1m wide so you can reach into the centre from both sides.

“Fill raised beds with a mix of around 70% topsoil and 30% compost.”

He says that, confusingly, there are three different types of compost.

Seed compost is for starting seeds off in trays or pots, there’s very little food in it for plants because it’s not needed at that stage.

Potting compost has enough nutrition in it to support plants for around one to three months, so ideal for transplanting little seedlings into.

Compost is made in a compost heap or bin by rotting down plant matter. He says this is loaded with nutrients and, when spread on your raised beds, it can supercharge them.

Michael’s top five vegetables to grow are potatoes, beetroot, peas, tomatoes, and salad leaves. He also says that a really interesting area that he has seen huge interest in is growing vegetables in schools.

“Initiatives like the SuperValu Let’s Grow campaign, which provides free seeds and a growing programme to primary schools across Ireland has supported 100,000 primary school kids to start growing in schools, so an example of great ways to engage kids around food growing and help them understand where their food comes from.”

“By growing food ourselves, we start to create a more meaningful, sensible, and simpler relationship with real food. The more we connect with whole foods grown in soil, the more alien the processed gunk seems to be.”