Patch to plate: the benefits of a backyard vegie patch

From patch to plate

Cultivating your own vegie patch at home comes with many benefits. Nurturing plants and growing your own food is incredibly satisfying, for starters. Growing your own can also be more cost-effective than purchasing vegies from the supermarket – and using less packaging materials is better for the environment. A vegie patch is also a rewarding and fun family project. 

We’re sharing advice on how to get growing – start today!

Safety tip: Always wear the appropriate safety equipment (safety glasses, gloves, and a mask, for example) and always follow the instructions for the product or equipment. Always wear gloves and a mask when handling potting mix, mulch and compost, and store products out of the reach of children and pets. After applying fertiliser around edible plants, delay harvesting for a few days and rinse well before cooking and eating.

Health benefits of homegrown vegies

Many people who grow their own produce will tell you how good it is to eat vegetables and herbs that are chemical-free and enjoyed straight from the garden. “Homegrown tastes so much better and is fresher than store-bought food,” says horticulturalist and garden coach Chloe Thomson (@beantheredugthat)

You are also in charge of the food chain when you grow your own, which means you know exactly what has gone into the production cycle.

Gardening has other health benefits, too. According to Better Health Victoria, gardening improves strength, reduces stress levels and promotes relaxation.

Environmental benefits of homegrown vegies

If you imagine the produce area of a supermarket, a lot of packing material comes to mind (plastic wrap, bags and sticker labels, for example), most of which ends up in landfill. Growing your own avoids all of this.

In addition, growing your own means less food wastage as you only plant and pick what you need. “There’s never soggy greens or daggy herbs hanging around my fridge, because they’re grown just metres from my kitchen door and on-hand when I need them,” says Chloe.

If you’re lucky enough to reap a bountiful harvest and have more produce than you can use, there are plenty of opportunities for home harvesters to preserve, bottle and freeze their extra produce. You can also share it with neighbours and friends.

Nothing is wasted when growing your own vegies. “A bag of spinach or lettuce leaves from the supermarket will last you less than a week and costs the same as a punnet of seedlings that will keep growing for months,” says Chloe.

Cost-saving benefits of homegrown vegies

Buying food has become a lot more expensive in the last couple of years, but fresh produce is one of the few foods you can supply yourself with. Even smaller spaces such as sunny balconies and courtyards can be utilised – plant compact vegies and herbs in pots and troughs. You might not be able to meet all of your household’s produce needs, but you can still make a dent in your weekly food bill by planting a few of your favourites.

Remember, too, that most of the costs of setting up a vegie garden are upfront and one-off, including starter products like raised garden beds, tools and soil. Once you’re up and running, you’ll only need to buy seeds or seedlings each season, fertilisers to feed your soil (always read product guidelines to ensure suitability), and the odd extra item like bamboo stakes to guide your tomato plants.

The most cost-effective route from vegie patch-to-plate is to grow your plants from seed, as each individual seed only costs a few cents and gives you a whole plant. (For instance, a packet of lettuce seeds starts at a fraction of the cost of a single lettuce at the supermarket.) Even if you buy nursery seedlings to save time, you’ll still be saving money.

Grow the greens you love

Having your own vegie garden at home means you can grow vegetables or fruit you enjoy eating the most, as well as more unusual varieties you might not readily find in the shops. Interesting edibles such as cucamelons, Jerusalem artichokes or cape gooseberries, for example, are easy to grow but hard to find, because they’re not produced in commercial quantities and are often not available in supermarkets.

Get to know which crops grow at what time of year. By planting garden vegetables in sync with the seasons, you’ll enjoy the best harvests with the least amount of effort. While the warmer months of spring and summer will always offer the widest selection of veg options, there are great options for the cooler months, too, like broccoli, broad beans and cauliflower. Many of the popular culinary herbs will grow happily all year round, meaning you’ve always got something for seasoning.

“I always make sure to have a leafy green veg or ‘pick and come again’ salad plant growing in my garden in every season – they are some of the most versatile things to grow and so easy, too,” Chloe says. The trick is working out which leafy greens to grow in which season. “Spinach likes the cool of autumn and winter, while the brightly coloured rainbow chard grows fastest during spring and summer.”

How to start a vegetable garden

Here’s some advice for cultivating your own vegie patch at home.

• If you’re new to growing vegetables, start out with leafy greens – things like loose-leaf lettuce, rocket, spinach and Asian greens. They are quick and easy to grow, and these ‘cut-and-come-again’ varieties can be harvested repeatedly by snipping off a bunch of leaves at a time and leaving the plant to regrow.

• If you love tomatoes but don’t like waiting for them to ripen, go for the smaller cherry varieties. They ripen faster, are prolific bearers and they are also less prone to pests and diseases. They grow well, in pots too – just make sure they get plenty of sunshine.

• While many root vegetables (like carrots and potatoes) require a little time to reach maturity, there are faster varieties, too – radishes and spring onions are two of the quickest. 

• Herbs like basil, parsley and coriander are expensive to buy at the supermarket and often half the bunch gets tossed. Growing your own at home means you can snip off as much as you need, whenever you need it.

• Want to plant a salad for your plate over summer? Plant this combo in spring for picking through the summer months: loose-leaf lettuce, rocket, radishes, spring and nasturtium.

Ready to grow your own vegetable garden?

Check out our helpful guide to get you started on your own patch-to-plate journey.

 

Photo Credit: GAP Gardens