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The joy of growing your own

There is nothing quite like homegrown produce, but shifting to home-based fruit and vegetable production isn't always easy. BetterLiving.org's gardening section contains a wealth of information and advice from people who are passionate about gardening. Eventually we hope to have information on every fruit and vegetable people regularly grow at home.

We try and give tips for a range of different climates and growing conditions, to compliment region-specific advice you may receive at your local garden center or printed on the back of seed packets.

We have organized our gardening section by crops. You might also like to take some time to browse our gardening articles on the articles page.

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Vegetable gardening

Many people think that carrots are difficult to grow, and relatively speaking they can be harder than other common vegetables. But the taste of home grown carrots is worth the effort. A few simple tips should see you on your way to success with growing carrots in no time.
Garlic is a great vegetable to grow, because if you like cooking then chances are you use a lot of it. Garlic stores well, so plant plenty to keep yourself well-supplied until next year's crop is ready.
Leeks are a great vegetable to grow at home. They are rich in vitamin C as well as folate, and have useful amounts of B vitamins, vitamin E, copper, potassium and iron.
Onions are one of the most versatile vegetables and can be found in cooking all over the world. Onions can be a lot of work and take up a lot of space, but growing your own onions is very rewarding.
Potatoes are easy to grow, or at least that's what my mother once told me. But there are still pitfalls you need to watch out for. And if you have just opened a bag of potato "seeds" and discovered to your surprise that they look like potatoes, then don't worry - we will cover all the basics as well.
If you were served steamed spinach as a child, you were probably put off it for life. But there is a lot more you can do with this versatile and nutritious vegetable. Spinach is high in vitamins A and C, thiamin, potassium and folic acid. It also has useful amounts of iron (though it is harder to absorb than the iron from red meat).

General gardening advice

Plants live in the soil, so getting the soil right can make you life a lot easier later on. Good soil has the right mixture of fine particles (clay), coarser particles (sand) and organic matter.
Water is a precious resource, and it pays to make the most of it. BettaLiving.org's collection of watering tips will help you cut down your water usage and save your plants from the negative effects of too much water.

Gardening projects (from our DIY section)

Protect your tender seedlings from early spring temperatures with this easy to make mini greenhouse. Our free plan contains a list of materials and step by step instructions.
Peat pots are a great way to give your young seedlings a head start. Seedlings hate having their roots disturbed, and transplanting can set their growth back by several days even under the best conditions. But peat pots are expensive. A great alternative is newspaper pots.
This sieve is simple to make and very handy for sifting soil before planting delicate root crops like carrots. It is also handy for sifting home made compost. Our free plan contains step by step instructions and a list of materials.
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