You will never really be able to grow enough vegetables to be fully sustainable unless you are doing it on a very large scale, so instead of using pesticides and artificial fertilisers, why not try growing organic food. You might just be growing for fun but this is also much cheaper than buying organic food, for which there are many benefits.
It is very easy to grow your own food free of any chemicals and pesticides using compost from recycled materials. Growing organically is entirely safe for you, your family and the environment. You can make your own compost very easily from more than half your household waste. You can construct a compost bin from four wooden posts, some chicken wire and cardboard. Fill it with any wasted food, peelings and all sorts of paper.
Pick a small plot of land that gets the sun all through the year. Avoid being near buildings or fences as heavy metals, paints and chemicals can taint the soil and hinder growth. Move any debris such as rocks, get rid of any weeds by hand and move any wanted plants to somewhere else. Turn the soil so it is loose and allowed to absorb air and moisture.
Cover the area with a layer of organic material such as leaves, dried grass and fine plant material from a non-pesticide garden over your chosen area. Get some good quality compost or dark crumbly soil from under forest trees and spread it thinly over your patch. This will bring a variety of organisms and bugs that will benefit the soil for you if you give them the chance.
Mix the top three inches of soil and organic material to help them work. Keep the soil damp but not soggy, never walk on the soil, when you are working with the plants, use a kneeling board. Obtain some vegetables in small square pots, commonly available from garden centres. Place the bulb and its roots in a small hole, deeper than the size of the bulb itself. Cover with plenty of organic material and water.
Once planted you need only tend to your vegetables now and again, making sure the water level is good, soil is rich and debris is clear. Be aware that once you pick your vegetables, they will begin to rot fairly quickly so leave them in the soil until you need them.
You will need to be wary of lawn weeds and lawn moss as these can damage your vegetables but otherwise don’t worry too much as the soil will look after itself.
