I love nothing better than pottering around in my garden during my spare time and have been busy in my vegetable plot planting seeds during the last few weeks. Not only do I find gardening relaxing and therapeutic but I don’t think you can beat the taste of your own grown vegetables or fruit!

Biting into that first lettuce, new potato or strawberry is something very special. There is also the added advantage that I know what I grown is chemical free and has not travelled half way around the globe to get to my plate.
I am still a bit of a novice when it comes to growing vegetables. I created my first raised bed out of old pallets about 4 years ago. Since them I have experimented with a variety of crops and now know what grows well and what does not suit my very acidic and heavy clay based soil. Slugs have always been a problem – I don’t believe in slug pellets or pesticides so I have come to accept certain loses from these pests. Having said this the last four weeks have been so dry they have not been a problem so far this year. I am also fortunate enough to be able to get hold of some well rotted horse manure from a stables up the road which has improved my soil quite considerably.
Home made compost has also improved the quality of my soil. With three kids we get through plenty of vegetable waste and it’s a great way of dealing with our biodegradable waste. I made one of my own compost bins (also out of old pallets) and obtained a plastic cone type from the Council for a fiver! Despite early difficulties with composting ( in the early days I ended up with a slimy mess) I am now producing great quality compost which goes straight onto my vegetable beds. Last year, after getting so excited about making my own compos, I signed up to become a Master Composter Volunteer with the County Council – There are now over 40 of us in the County. I volunteer a number of days every year converting others to the art of composting or giving advice on creating the perfect compost heap. If anyone is interested in the scheme check out the website at www.homecomposting.org.uk/content/view/21/36/