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.

3. Create a raised bed

Raised beds are really just large containers sitting on the ground. There are several advantages for growing vegetables in this way. Firstly, if you have poor garden soil (as we have in our garden), fill raised beds with good garden soil and organic matter. Also, there is no digging or treading on the soil, therefore no soil compaction, meaning that drainage conditions are vastly improved and plants can flourish.

Taller raised beds are a good choice for back pain sufferers as no bending is required. They should be small enough so that you can easily reach into the middle of the bed (no more than about 1.5m wide), and sited in a sunny, sheltered position preferably close to an outside tap for convenient watering.

Avoid railway sleepers as they are usually saturated in tar. Instead, choose eco-friendly treated timber or bricks. Fill with good top-soil with bulky organic matter, then off you go!

4. Get to know your soil

A healthy, wildlife-friendly garden starts with its soil, and what you then plant in it. In our garden we have flinty, clay soil that is heavy, cold and sticky in winter and prone to drying out in the summer. Because of this we have used raised beds and incorporated plenty of good garden compost to help open up the soil to assist drainage, while at the same time helping to keep moisture locked into the soil during the summer months.

The type of soil in your garden will dictate to a large extent the kinds of plants that will grow happily and healthily, and most are greatly improved with the addition of some kind of organic matter such as garden compost, leaf mould or well rotted manure. Remember that healthy plants are better equipped to tolerate pests and diseases than unhealthy ones.

Organic matter such as bark chippings, leaf mould or well rotted manure can also be used as mulch around plants, which will conserve moisture and suppress weeds. Apply onto cleared soil about 10cm (4 ins) deep in spring as the soil starts to warm, but just before weeds get going and avoid touching the stems of plants as this can encourage rotting.

5. Plant to encourage wildlife

Aim to make planting as diverse as possible, providing evergreens such as holly and ivy for shelter, as well as nectar-rich flowers for all four seasons, especially during the winter and early spring.

Nectar provides a sugar-rich food for all the beneficial insects such as ladybirds, lacewings and hoverflies, giving them energy to breed and fly, and they in turn will lay their eggs close to aphid colonies and the larvae will also gobble up the aphids.

Winter flowering plants often have extremely pungent perfumes. This is so that the scent can carry through the cold air to lure insects for pollination. I grow several in my garden including Daphne odora 'Aureomarginata', Lonicera fragrantissima (winter flowering honeysuckle) and Hamamelis (witch hazel).

Later, early bulbs such as snowdrops and crocus, hellebores, and Aquilegia are among some of the flowers that keep nectar supplies going until summer. Then the annuals such as pot marigolds (Calendula officinalis), love-in-a mist (Nigella damascena) and poppies begin to flower along with lavender, roses and clematis.

Butterflies are always enchanting to watch and I always feel most honoured when I see them enjoying our garden. As many butterflies are in decline, we can all make a difference by planting nectar-rich plants such as Buddleja, Lavender and Red Valerian as well as plants where they can lay their eggs and caterpillars can feed such as stinging nettles, honeysuckle, ivy and violets.

Kim Wilde supports the Dig Your Dinner campaign to help save 10 endangered 'Heirloom' vegetables which were grown in the past but are not produced in modern, large-scale farming. Seeds of Change's Dig Your Dinner campaign encourages the nation to grow their own dinner and to help preserve tasty, endangered British vegetables for the future. For further information please visit www.digyourdinner.co.uk