Scott Smith: Why growing your own veg is worth the time and effort

What is the point in growing your own veg? It’s a hassle, right? Why bother sowing seeds and tending to beds?

There’s weeding, watering, protecting from pests, pollinating, earthing up, harvesting then cleaning.

It’s easier to just pop down to the supermarket and grab a kilo of spuds and a bag of carrots for dinner than spending ages growing, right?

I mean it’s cheap enough at the supermarket and is way less work. I would suggest if this is what you feel like when the thought of growing veg is mentioned, then you wouldn’t be alone.

I would also admit that you aren’t totally wrong. Growing veg is work, it takes dedication, time and effort. It is easier to buy it from the supermarket.

Carrots galore, one of the vegetables Scott chooses to grow.

I’ll also admit that any of those sources that claim you can save a fortune growing your own rather than buying, is nonsense.

Sure you may technically save cash by buying a packet of seeds and growing a row of 20 leeks rather than buying 20 leeks from supermarket or greengrocers but they never take account of any individual’s most important commodity; time.

Growing veg takes time and that is more of a thought than just spending a couple of quid more at the market. So what’s the real reason to grow?

You are what you eat

They say you are what you eat and ain’t that the truth. Home-grown veg tastes better. Much better. It also has better vitamin content, less chemicals in your diet and provides something money can’t buy – satisfaction.

Growing veg is like playing God. It’s the circle of life in fast forward mode. You’ve grown a seed into a veg plant which lands on your plate and nourishes you.

One of the most satisfying times I’ve ever felt gardening was as head gardener of a private estate near Aberdeen for the Paton family.

My newborn baby son was taken home surplus fruit and veggies that I had grown with my own hands and they were mashed up into his baby purees.

I had created life and was helping sustain it using the purest of food. I was providing life-giving vitamins and minerals.

Funny how five years later that same glorious bounty is not quite so appealing to my son who instead wants cheesy pasta.

Nonetheless, he still eats most of his veg without complaining too much. What’s more is he helps me grow it nowadays.

It’s a fantastic life lesson to any child that you can reap the rewards of your hard work with a little nourishing care and some patience.

At the end of the day, my Blue Danube tatties roasted versus the tasteless 80p bag of spuds? I’ll savour mine thank you.

Take the time

Yes, it’s expensive; not in pounds Sterling but in time, care and labour.

If you put in the work though, you benefit in a multitude of ways. You get out there in the world and get fitter.

It takes physical exertion to double dig tatties I’ll tell you that! There is an innate satisfaction in getting your hands into the soil and feeling connected to the world.

Most satisfying though surely is the harvest. Pulling up a carrot here, forking up a shaw of tatties there.

Plucking a gloriously sun-kissed tomato, warm straight from the vine explosive with flavour. The pungent smell of freshly chopped herbs so concentrated in flavour and scent, way more powerful than a sad packaged sprig from the shops.

More of Scott’s healthy and colourful crops.

What to grow?

So let’s talk veg. Here’s a very simple rule. If you don’t like it then don’t grow it! Sounds simple, perhaps even silly. You’d be amazed how many people get carried away trying to grow an entire supermarket aisle’s worth of veg.

They grow things they don’t even like then scramble to get rid of half of it. It’s the same for people that fail to pass on or throw away their excess young plants.

You won’t need all 30 tomato seedlings that have germinated. Funny how folk end up with 500 courgettes and more radishes than Peter Rabbit could handle.

Scott’s son helps his dad grow veg and even eats some.

My advice is to rein it in. Grow only what you really like to eat and grow sensible amounts.

I always grow potatoes, carrots, peas, tomatoes and spring onions, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. I love growing pumpkins because they are fun and I love the way they look. They taste bloomin’ awful but hey at least they get carved for Halloween.

My apologies to older folks that insist on using a neep! If you still need to be convinced then try growing just one type of veg.

Compare it to the one you buy at the supermarket. You’ll grow yours again next year I’m sure.

Take care and happy gardening.