To grow enough food to sustain a household requires a huge amount of land so if you are going to grow vegetables you may as well do it organically by not using any pesticides or artificial fertilisers. You might just be growing for fun but this is also much cheaper than buying organic food, for which there are many benefits.

Most people underestimate how easy it is to grow your own food free of any chemicals and pesticides using compost from recycled materials. Growing organically is safer for you, your family and the environment. You can produce your own compost very easily from over 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.

Dedicate a small patch of land that gets the sun almost all year round; avoid being near buildings or fences as heavy metals, paints and chemicals can taint the soil and hinder growth. Be sure to get rid of 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.

Spread organic material such as leaves, dried grass and fine plant material from a non-pesticide garden over your chosen area. Either buy or borrow some good quality compost or dark crumbly soil from under forest trees and spread it thinly over your patch. This will provide your soil with all sorts of organisms and beneficial life forms that will work the soil for you if you give them the chance.

Mix up the organic material with the top three inches of soil to help them work and keep the soil damp but not soggy. Never walk on the soil, when you are working with the plants, use a kneeling board. Buy your preferred vegetables in small square pots, commonly available from garden centres. Place the bulb and its roots in a hole just deeper than the size of the bulb itself. Cover with plenty of organic material and water.

When your vegetables are planted you will only need to check them on an infrequent basis, making sure the water level is good, soil is rich and debris is clear. If you want to use them, pick them shortly before as without the chemicals they will decompose fairly rapidly.

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.