We all have our desert island fantasy. An island where the roads are deserted: actually, there are neither cars nor roads. The humming quiet is the only noise riding the airwaves. Time slips into a constant, with no hourly or daily alarms or reminders. And there are no people around: just you and your shadow following you like a faithful dog.

However, it’s not the prospect of being alone that fuels our fantasy: after all, no man is a desert island. Rather, the joy of being a modern-day Robinson Crusoe is a back tobasics self-sufficiency. No more aimless wandering up and down supermarket aisles or queuing up for a takeaway: you grow and eat your own food.

Self-sufficiency is not about saving up on time and money. It’s like baking your own bread. It’s cheaper and faster to buy bread. And yet a loaf which you have spent hours making and baking just tastes better.

Of course, self-sufficiency is, like a desert island fantasy, just that: a fantasy. However, growing your own food is still possible. Moreover, it can fill your larder with freshness and your soul with happiness.

Where

• The smallest patch of soil can be transformed into a thriving kitchen garden. True, a lawn looks good as do thirsty exoticplants. However, they give you nothing edible in return.

On the other hand, your kitchen garden can be the source of daily fresh produce. By carefully planning your kitchen garden, you can have your own organic market right outside your door. And as you gain gardening experience, you can expand from growing staples such as potatoes and tomatoes to some more exotic tastes such as strawberries and asparagus.

Who

• Even if you have no gardening experience, you can still grow a kitchen garden. After all, you don’t have to reinvent the farming wheel or try to do things differently: farming has been practised for thousands of years and you don’t need to revolutionise it. You just have to accept farming facts: for instance, you cannot grow tomatoes where there is no sun, so don’t plant them in the shade.

Stick to these basics, especially in your first year. Experience is a good teacher: a failing crop is a good indication of what to do differently next year.

When stuck, seek expert help. There is plenty of information around, from the instructions on the back of seed packages to a friendly neighbour who has a thriving kitchen garden. Moreover, there are plenty of kitchen garden planners and guides online.

What

• Forget all your grandiose plans of flooding the market with avocados or growing cherry trees or rice in your garden: the trick with a kitchen garden is to nurture it over the years. Don’t let your hand exceed your grasp: start with the basics and increase your vegetable and fruit variety over the years.

So, what to grow? Simple. Make a list of the vegetables and fruits you love to eat and start from there. This has two advantages. First of all, you don’t waste time and effort on something you will not eat. And secondly, you get to enjoy vegetables you like.

That said, do leave a spare patch of soil for some experimentation. For instance, don’t dedicate half of your garden to asparagus, which is notoriously difficult to grow. Start from a small patch so that you can learn from your mistakes: a lot of gardening is about trial and error. Then when you are confident with your knowledge, grow a larger patch.

You don’t need to stick to fruit and vegetables. Raising chickens is cheap, easy and cheerful: there is so much pleasure in building a coop, raising chickens and gathering eggs. Even a couple of chickens will give you fresh eggs every day. Moreover, chickens are the source of free organic fertiliser for your kitchen garden.

When

• This all sounds so lovely. And yet, with your busy schedule and family commitments, it’s difficult to find the time to tend to your kitchen garden.

First of all, don’t be ambitious. Take a look at your weekly schedule and see how much time you can spend in your garden. Plant and sow according to your availability: plant more than you can look after and you will not have time to water and weed.

Your availability will also influence the crop variety you choose. For instance, commonly available seeds and seedlings will be hardier and will require less dedication to grow. On the other hand, the heirloom varieties are usually tastier, but need more time and effort.

Why

• Buying fruit and vegetables from the supermarket is easy. But that’s all you get: fruit and vegetables. What you grow, on the other hand, doesn’t only have colour, taste and texture: it is also rich with memories of planting them with your children, spending a pleasant Sunday afternoon weeding, and being greeted with the first bloom or sprout of the season. And nothing tastes better than good memories.

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