For a long time, the biggest edible plants I grew myself were herbs on the kitchen windowsill. And those didn’t go so well. Recently I have been having a go at growing my own vegetables, with a little help from some friends, and it has been such fun!

I am nowhere near self-sustainable or anything, but it has been so special to watch things grow, to harvest them and savour them in a tasty dish.

Growing your own herbs, fruit and veg is a great way to enjoy nature, help the environment and save some pennies.

The cost

There is always a cost, the question is how much are you willing to pay? And I don’t just mean financial but the cost of your time and attention. Obviously, there is the cost of seeds or seedlings depending on what you want to start with. Then there is the equipment, soil, and space you’ll need. And finally, probably the costliest, in my experience anyway, is the time you’ll need to commit to learning about and nurturing your plants.

Now, some people just lap this up and it becomes a great self-care ritual for them. Planting, watering, pruning, weeding, and harvesting become space to slow down and reset.

To be honest for me it still sits in the place of a chore, as another thing on my mental list that need tending daily. And that has been stressful. However, I have loved seeing things grow - seeing how resilient and cool plants are. I have gotten so much joy from harvesting my own veg and cooking delicious food that tastes so fresh and juicy!

What’s worked for me

Growing my own food has been a dream of mine for a long time and is quite high up on my life aspirations, but as I have already shared, I don’t find it easy. So, I decided early on I wasn’t going to be able to do it without help. Luckily, I have some great friends who grow their own and are much more experienced than me. They are also kind, generous and have gifted me and my husband many plants over the last two years. They have also offered to help dig out our beds and give plant care advice.

I have also found growing certain vegetables more rewarding than others in terms of their work to reward ratio. Going forward I am drawing up a list of ones that produce well and actually supplement our diet, so we don’t need to buy them from the shop. Where we live these are things like tomatoes, cucumbers, courgettes and broccoli.

My top tips, so far, in growing your own:

• Do it in community

• Pick herbs, fruit and veg that you normally eat and enjoy

• Grown things that work in your area

• Celebrate along the way and especially at harvest time