Grow your own :: from Do Something's FoodWise web site

Building & maintaining your soil

If you want to give your plants the best start, you need to begin with healthy soil ecology. Arabella Forge explains how this can be achieved.

Growing from seed

Arabella Forge shares some tips on growing your own fruit and vegetables from her book Frugavore: How to grow your own, buy local, waste nothing and eat well.

From seed to salad

Mix seeds, soil and water and watch salad greens spring from even the tiniest of outdoor spaces.

Spring planting - basil

Basil is used in everyday cooking, sprinkled on a salad, bruscetta, perfect raw with tomatoes, and the main component of pesto. Growing it at home means you’ll never be in short supply.

Spring planting - truss tomatoes

There is nothing sweeter than vine-ripened truss tomatoes that you have grown yourself and Spring is the time to plant them.

Summer planting - mint

If you love the refreshing zing of mint, you will be delighted to know there is a huge choice of different mints to use in the kitchen and you can grow them yourself.

Summer planting - Thai pea eggplant

Thai pea eggplants are an exciting heirloom of exotic old Siam. They are round, green and the size of peas with fruit hanging in clusters of 10-15. Quick to grow, they add a ‘wow’ factor at a banquet.

Autumn planting - garlic

Garlic is rich in protein, minerals and vitamins A, B1 and C. Crushed and mixed with honey and lemon, garlic is said to ease coughs and colds and can be grown at home.

Autumn planting - passionfruit

Passionfruit has a unique flavour and comes in a range of colours; yellow, plum, and purple to black. You will get a good-sized crop 18 months after planting.

Winter planting - asparagus

Asparagus lovers will be wowed by the fact you can grow five different varieties of asparagus at home - fat, purple, white, tiny tips and thin green spears.