Grow your own 5 a day

‘Grow your own'... ‘five-a-day'.... ‘urban agriculture'...'grower group'... ‘allotment clubs'.... ‘plot-to-plate'.... ‘food security'.
Just some of the words and phrases that increasingly feature in the media every day and which, as a result, have evolved to become a meaningful part of our vocabularies.

Some of the current interest in food stems from recognition that the future of ‘food security' - that is, our ability to provide sufficient nutritious food at affordable prices - is seriously under threat. For others, interest relates to wanting to eat more healthily - and for others, it is a desire to return to what is perceived as a better, a happier, a more fruitful way of life.

It's a fact that, never since the Second World War, has so much interest been taken in where food comes from, how it's produced - and its nutritional value. At that time food was scarce. German U-boats were sinking the merchant ships carrying food to this country and imports were severely threatened. The phrase ‘food security' was born. Funny thing is that records suggest that people were far healthier then on restricted amounts of food available to them than now when, for most people, there is abundance (or should that be over-abundance?). Anyway, if the dismal predictions about the future of food security are only half correct, all that is going to change - and drastically

All these concerns aside - what can be better than eating food on the very day it is harvested? Nothing like the freshness and crispness of fruit and vegetables that have never been transported and never even glimpsed a retail shelf. Delicious and nutritious - they are ready for the careful cooking that won't destroy their vitamin content! (‘Al dente' and ‘steaming'- two methods we are taking on board in a big way!)

In many areas, allotment plots are like gold dust and waiting lists often indicate that it's a case of waiting to fill dead men's shoes. A lot of modern gardens simply don't have sufficient space for a dedicated kitchen garden of the traditional type. Even in slightly -or considerably - larger gardens, the concentration is almost entirely on flowers and shrubs and trees. All are important because they create a feel-good factor and help to increase our wellbeing - but in reality it needn't be an either/or situation. It's perfectly possible to grow a variety of salad leaves, onions, beetroot, carrots, cabbages (look how the ornamental varieties have taken off) in amongst the flowers. Runner beans and peas can look great climbing up a fence or located against a wall. Fruit trees can be trained as espaliers or fans - blackberries can be grown along wires. Opportunities to create beauty and interest with vegetables and fruit are endless!

Those seeking inspiration might care to visit Hadlow College's Broadview Gardens. Only last year the college was selected by Suttons, the Devon-located seed and plant specialists, to design and construct their show garden. A kitchen garden of the traditional kind, it is located on the edge of the stunning 9.5 acre gardens which are open to the public, free of charge, 360 days of the year. Overseen by head gardener Alex Rennie, various experiments and growing techniques are undertaken on behalf of Suttons.

The size of an average allotment, some of the planting in the Suttons Garden identifies space-saving techniques. Stone fruits - including plums, cherries and nectarines - are growing fan-style. Pears are being grown in ‘U' shapes and another space-saving method is being used to grow Bramley apples. Different blackberry cultivars - and two different types of raspberry - are being trained along wires. Asparagus, leeks, broccoli, cabbages, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, lettuce and other salad leaves, peas and beans are all doing well. In the greenhouse - not some great hothouse but a dinky little one just right in this traditional-style garden - tomato trials are underway - and even a melon is growing.

Not surprisingly, Broadview attracts visitors from all over NE Europe. They come in their coach-loads, as families and as individuals. Some opt to book a conducted tour (involves a fee) of the gardens, others prefer to wander round on their own (free of charge). The Broadview Tearoom - winner of this year's Countryside Alliance Rural Enterprise Award - adjoining the gardens offers delicious ‘home-made' food prepared using seasonally available, locally sourced ingredients.

All-in-all - a great day out that needn't involve spending any money at all! And Broadview is a wonderful place to acquire information, advice and ‘tips' about ‘growing your own'!

Enquiries about Broadview should be directed to: 01732 853211.