NEW Year’s Resolutions are getting down to earth in 2023 as more people are working from home, connecting with nature and making the weekly/monthly farmers markets a must for stocking up on fruit, veggies, homemade pickles, sauces, potted herbs and spices.

With local community food swaps, and flourishing food stalls selling seasonal pickings, the seeds have been sown and people want to plant, grow and reap their own rewards.

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Ian Earth, founder of The Gourmet Garden School in Raleigh, is not only a grower but a very generous guide in getting it right when you’re thinking about making a productive plot or pot, depending on your time and space.

Here Ian shares the starting steps when you’ve set your New Year’s Resolution sights on growing your own.

“There’s a fun saying about trees that applies equally well to vegetables, herbs and berries: ‘the best time to plant (a tree) is ten years ago, so that we’re enjoying it now, and the next best time is today’,” Ian told News Of The Area.

“With all the festive cheer pressing our waistlines and the momentum of New Year aspirations to eat well, it’s the perfect time to start a home vegetable garden.

“Better yet, this time of year boasts a high likelihood of warm weather and regular rains, a winning combo for abundant and speedy growth.”

Planning, preparation and patience are important if you want an easy to care for, inexpensive garden.

The dividends of the initial efforts to set up the space well and ensure a good start are quickly reaped, and for many years afterwards.

It can, however, feel quite overwhelming when starting out, because there’s so many factors to consider and a few quick questions asked online can quickly cause confusion and inertia with clashing opinions and well intended, but confusing advice.

Ian advises soil preparation is an important step not to be brushed under the carpet.

“It’s very important that the soil is rich, with a nice chocolatey dark colour, and well drained.

“This’ll ensure the ideal conditions for soil life to flourish, which in truth is the essence of soil fertility and overall garden health.

“Improving soil can be a big job, and it’s important to do it properly because so many problems can arise if this step is skipped, and this is why starting small can be the very best way to begin.”

Even a single pot or windowsill garden can bring so much joy and deliciousness to the kitchen, not to mention upgrading a meal to ‘gourmet’ status with just a few sprigs of aromatic homegrown herbs.

“It’s not just the food either, it’s the joy of seeing new life spring forth from a seed planted, as a living metaphor for the future we seek starting with the seeds we sow now.

“Knowing that these plants we’re caring for are destined for a future date with our taste buds, they’re worth caring for well.

“When starting out, it’s worth working out what food you’d really like to try homegrown.

“Pick something that excites you, life’s too short to grow food that doesn’t.

“If you love strawberries or tomatoes and you want to discover just how much flavour and aroma these foods can actually offer, you need to grow your own.

“What about growing your own aromatic basil, or lemon verbena for digestive teas?” Ian suggests.

Whether it’s seeds or seedlings, opportunities abound to trial what works best for you and your garden space.

“I love sharing my passion with new growers and I see so many people getting ‘the gardening bug’, I feel like it’s responsible to disclose that growing your own fresh food can be addictive.

“Despite many easy wins, growing our own is not all sunshine and berries though, with changeable weather patterns and healthy soil so important, there’s lots to learn, and that’s why getting guidance from someone who’s experienced can remove the overwhelm and keep food gardening fun.

“The honest truth, when it comes to homegrown food is that once you’ve tasted what’s possible, there’s no going back, especially as freshness and flavour equals nutrition and health, which of course equals a New Year’s resolution easily kept.

“When flavoursome food is actually good for you, who wouldn’t want more deliciousness in life?” closed Ian.

For more info visit The Gourmet Garden School on Facebook.

By Andrea FERRARI