It's ime to plan your patch

Kim Stoddart explains how to maximise produce growing opportunities this year...

- Kim Stoddart

With a continued cost of living crises which shows no sign of abating, it is more important than ever to make the best use of your smallholding vegetable garden. For money saving, for environmental reasons and just because it feels so incredibly good to do so. There’s nothing like sticking two fingers up at all the horrible things happening in the world right by growing lots of your own lovingly nurtured fruit and vegetables to bring to the table. It’s a positive action on so many levels and will help you switch off from the negative news and all-round doom and gloom.

Here’s some of the best produce to grow for maximum harvests, minimum effort, more resilient crops.

COURGETTES

Many gardeners joke about the abundant crops these plants create come mid summer as they produce so many fruits when they get in full productive flow. Embrace the courgette I say and indeed grow more because they can be used in lots of different ways over the many months ahead. The baby courgettes are lovely to cook whole, while larger fruits can be sliced and diced and added to many dishes. They pickle and preserve well so can provide a main ingredient to lots of store cupboard goodies to reduce costs over the winter.

CHARDS