The benefits that come from growing your own fruit, veggies and herbs at home are so unmatchable that every family should give it a try.
Not only will having your own veggie garden save you some money at the grocery store but it’s an experience that the whole family will enjoy and may even encourage little ones to try new foods, knowing they have grown them themselves.
Your body will thank you as well with the increase of fresh healthy foods, and the complete evasion of harmful chemicals that you are unknowingly eating when purchasing from stores that sell mass farmed veggies; you know exactly what you are putting into your body.
The list of fruit, vegetables and herbs that you can grow yourself at home is endless, however there is no reason to grow anything that you or your family don’t like, so its best to start out with a list of the produce that you are most commonly buying at the store and match that up with our list to find the best gardening choices for you and your family for each season.
There are countless options when it comes to what fruits, veggies and herbs you can grow in the summer, meaning the Christmas holidays, just as the kids are out of school for the year, are a great time to start your family’s fruit and vegetable growing adventure. Some great options when it comes to your new garden include:
Bananas, figs, cherries, berries, limes, melons, passionfruit, grapes, pears, plums, nectarines, peaches, pineapple and oranges.
Lettuce, capsicum, celery, Chinese cabbage, eggplant, artichoke, onion, spring onion, squash, potato, sweet potato, rosella, silver beet, leek, kohlrabi, beans, cucumber, orka, sweet corn and melons.
Mint, basil, coriander, chives, lemongrass, parsley, fennel, heliotrope, tarragon, gotu kola and winter savoury.
Autumn is a time where the options for your garden have decreased somewhat with the change in weather and temperature, but this is not a reason to deter you, as this time of year is when plants are focusing on establishing big strong roots in preparation for the harsh winter and the growing time in spring. The plants that will thrive during this auburn season include:
Pears, pomegranate, oranges, limes, guavas, lemons, bananas, passionfruit, kiwi fruit and apples.
Lettuce, onion, spring onion, shallots, spinach, turnip, broad beans, peas, radish and broccoli.
Coriander, fennel, lavender, oregano, parsley, sage, rocket, garlic bulbs, chervil, rosemary, thyme, yarrow, winter tarragon, sorrel and marjoram.
Whilst winter may seem like a time where your gardening efforts may render hopeless with the extreme drop in temperature, this is completely untrue. There are still a wide variety of fruits and vegetables that your family can expect plenty of at this cold time of year including but not limited to:
Bananas, apples, cherries, coconuts, dragon fruit, passionfruit, pears, pineapples, pomegranate, dates, grapefruit, kiwi fruit, lemons, limes, strawberries and watermelon.
Lettuce, silver beet, spinach and cabbage.
Lavender, garlic bulbs, mint, oregano, sage, thyme, parsley, sorrel, dill, lemon balm, chamomile, comfrey and marjoram.
The myriad of fruit and veggies that can be grown in the springtime correlate immensely with the ones that can be grown in the summer, with the season of new life really showing true in the garden. This is a time where you will see your garden flourish and the produce will be bountiful including but not limited to:
Bananas, apples, avocados, grapes, blueberries, coconuts, mangoes, passionfruit, oranges, peaches, limes, lemons, pears, raspberries, pineapple, strawberries, nectarines, coconuts, dates, dragon fruit, pomegranate, rock melons, watermelon, tamarillo, paw paw, mandarins, guava, grapefruit and gooseberries.
Potato, sweet potato, sweet corn, pumpkin, squash, carrot, capsicum, cabbage, eggplant, lettuce, beans, cucumber, beetroot, radish, silver beet, broccoli, rosella, tomato, onion and parsnip.
Coriander, mint, sage, oregano, thyme, parsley, dill, chives and basil.
Each family can easily customise their own garden at home and will readily see the benefits of not only saving money on the cost of produce, but the physical, psychological health benefits and the bonding experience this will bring to your family are undeniable.