With the high cost of living and escalating prices in the supermarket each week, are you thinking about applying for an allotment or using part of your own garden to grow your own fruit and vegetables? More people than ever before will be thinking of having a go but if you are a novice and simply do not know where to start or what to grow, help is at hand.
A new book by a regular presenter on BBC TV Gardeners’ World, Rekha Mistry, has just been published. ‘Rekha’s Kitchen Garden’ provides an informative and well written guide on how to get the most from your kitchen garden area. Rekha reveals how to grow more than 40 seasonal crops, including soft fruit, herbs, vegetables, and apples. The book is divided into the four seasons of the year based on when the crops are harvested and is written in such a way that even an experienced gardener will find it useful.
Rekha also shares her inspiring gardening journey from working alongside her mother in their Zambian kitchen garden during her childhood. Having moved countries, she went from a successful businesswoman to become a busy north London allotment blogger and garden writer. Rekha tells us more:
“I wasn’t born with a silver garden fork in my hand, In the beginning, I was self-taught, learning along the way. I asked questions. I researched how I could grow food organically and sustainably. I found second-hand gardening books, picking up tips from these writers and experts. Before long, my allotment became far more than a pastime. I said goodbye to a successful 25-year career running our family business, started my gardening blog, and discovered a love for photography. Now, my love for fresh produce has outgrown the paradise that was my mother’s kitchen garden; it’s outgrown that tiny space that doubled as a family football pitch. It has become a way for me to share my experiences, my expertise and, more importantly, my love for all things grow-your-own. It has led, one way or another, to this book.”
What is also helpful with ‘Rekha’s Kitchen Garden’ is that not only does it offer easy to follow instructions on how to grow organic vegetables, fruits, and herbs, but she gives guidance on sowing and potting seedlings, growing on, routine care and harvesting. As a firm believer in cooking and eating seasonal food, Rekha also gives practical suggestions on how to use the crop in the kitchen. There is also a very handy month by month task list for the home, greenhouse and outdoors, helping you keep your growing on track.
‘Rekha’s Kitchen Garden’ is published by DK, priced at £18.99 for 192 informative pages (ISBN: 9780241558362) and provides you with all the information you need to get growing to provide food for you and your family.
COMPETITION: Readers have the opportunity to win one of two copies of ‘Rekha’s Kitchen Garden.' Visit www.oxmag.co.uk/competitions/ to enter.
