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Kim Wilde's 'grow your own' tips
It wasn't until Kim Wilde married and had children that her gardening career blossomed and now she has a Chelsea design under her belt. She gave iVillage.co.uk her top start-up tips for 'growing your own'
1. Grow your own herbs
Grow herbs outside the back door in containers. Some herbs such as mint, lemon-balm, wild strawberries and golden marjoram will all thrive in partial shade. Rosemary and sage are among some of the easiest plants to grow in the garden and are some of the most aromatic They're especially suited to growing in containers close to the kitchen within easy grabbing reach!
While rosemary, chives and sage all require plenty of sunshine, not all herbs require this. Mint, parsley, golden marjoram and wild strawberries can all tolerate partial shade.
All container-grown herbs need drainage at the bottom of the container. Place broken crocks (old terracotta pots) over the drainage holes to keep them from becoming blocked, and a layer of small stones or gravel. Use soil-based potting compost with added grit and fill the pot to just below the rim (2.5cm below) so the soil does not displace when watering.
Perennial herbs are, of course, the easiest herbs to grow, with no seed sowing, and minimal watering if growing in a container. Evergreen rosemary is a tough, drought resistant plant perfect for adding to roast chicken, or sprinkling in the Sunday Yorkshire pudding mix. Chives are particularly pot-friendly. The young flowers can be added to summer salads, and the leaves snipped off with scissors and added to omelettes, dips and salads.
I grow a bay plant on my sunny, sheltered patio although they can tolerate partial shade. This easy-to-grow evergreen looks handsome all year round, and dried leaves can be added to casseroles.
Mint is another herb particularly suited to container growth, not least because their creeping rhizomes can become invasive in open ground. There are many different mints to choose from including ginger (Mentha x gentiles 'Variegata'), and chocolate (Mentha x piperata), which really does smell of After Eight mints!
If you can't grow herbs outside then grow chilli, coriander and basil plants which will all thrive on a sunny window sill. Children can grow mustard and cress seeds on damp kitchen paper.
2. Grow summer salad veggies
This summer, why not grow your own salad in a container. There are plenty of different leaves to choose, each with their own distinctive taste. From the earthy spicy taste of rocket to mustard greens which have a pure mustard taste without making the eyes water!
Salad leaves will start growing only four weeks after sowing and most are really quick to germinate. Sow every two weeks to ensure salad leaves all summer long. Choose a soil-based compost and a sunny, sheltered position, preferably near the back door for convenience. There is nothing more satisfying then gathering your own crisp salad for an al-fresco meal (no more expensive, soggy leaves in plastic bags), with the added advantage of being organic and full of vitamins and minerals.
Among some of the leaves I grow are Mizuna (Japanese Greens), which are easy to grow, extremely fast growing; winter hardy, mustard greens, which are also winter hardy and with a distinctive mustard taste; corn salad (lambs lettuce) and, of course, rocket, which no salad should be without.
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