Pave the Way to Grow To Eat
Apr 13, 2023
Interested in growing vegetables but not sure where to begin when planting, whilst making your garden look great?
There are many benefits to growing your own food alongside paving from us: you know exactly where your vegetables are coming from, it’s great for saving money, you’re growing organic produce, and our paving keeps your planting area clean and bright with Global Stone porcelain. Here’s our step by step guide on growing to eat:
First and foremost, it is important to consider the following:
Sunlight: do you have a spot available in your garden that has access to at least 6 hours of direct sunlight a day? This is important to sustain vegetables. Global Stone porcelain such as Premium Porcelain Six Nine Series in Parchment and Dove Grey and Premium Porcelain Florence Range in Thatch paving reflects the sunlight, acting as a natural solar panel for your vegetables. They’ll be sprouting before you know it!
Soil: is your soil of good quality? You may want to consider amending your soil with compost to improve its quality.
Taste: what do you and your family enjoy eating? There is little point in growing food that won’t get eaten.
Step 1 – Start with a plan
Planning will help you to gain a better understanding of when to plant, what you want to plant and where to plant. EatingWell recommend drawing up a plan on paper or generate one using an online garden planner which helps you to customise a garden design from scratch.
Step 2 – Pick your seeds
Picking the right seeds for you and your family can be a daunting task, therefore it is important to consider which vegetables you enjoy the most and which you are most likely to eat. There are an abundance of options available to you, Wyevale have a huge selection of vegetable seeds but here’s what we recommend:
Green Beans: green beans provide a wealth of nutrients: vitamins A, C and K, manganese, potassium, folate, iron and fibre. Plant your seeds in well-drained soil and place in direct sun.
Carrots: the pigment that makes carrots orange is the same compound the body converts to vitamin A. Carrots thrive in fertile sandy loam and can be planted as soon as the soil can be worked.
Cucumbers: cucumbers are a tasty addition to any summer salad. Ensure your cucumber plants receive generous amounts of organic matter and good fertilisation.
Lettuce: lettuce is super easy to grow and thrives in cooler weather, so it’s best to plant it in either Spring or Autumn.
Step 3 – Plant your seeds
Understanding how and when to plant your seeds is a very important part of growing to eat. There are a few tools we recommend using to aid the planting process:
Trowel: trowels are brilliant for digging small holes for planting transplants.
Stirrup hoe: stirrup hoes enable you to pull young weeds at the root with a simple back-and-forth motion.
Garden rake: with a garden rake you can level beds and filter out large stones that may interrupt seedling growth.
Step 4: Keeping your planting area clean
No doubt you’ll be wanting hard-wearing paving to go alongside your vegetable garden. Global Stone porcelain paving such as The Premium Porcelain Six & Eight Series is contemporary, easy to clean (all you have to do is wipe and the soil and muddy footprints are gone) and its simple design will make your vegetables stand out. If you prefer a more rustic look with a tumbled effect, the Premium Porcelain Florence Range is perfect.