At the beginning of the year I wanted to start growing my own fruit and vegetables. I’ve grown up with grandparents who always used their garden space to help stock the kitchen. I remember going to their house where she’d let us eat the juicy red tomatoes she had just picked from her greenhouse. I didn’t like tomatoes then; now, 20 years later, I use them in every dish.

My mum also made an allotment space at the bottom of the garden. This would be full of lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, beetroot and runner beans. There were also apple trees, plum trees and cherry trees, as well as potatoes, chilli’s and peppers growing in pots. We’d make apple crumble, potato salad, plum jam and then use the rest to bulk out meal ideas. I loved digging through the potato trough to find the tatties for tea and finding extra apples to feed my horse – usually when we had too many and they were starting to go over.

Since moving out last year with my partner Dan, our small patch of lawn (fenced in by rotting panels with weeds taking over the patio) just didn’t quite fill me with the same excitement. Our rental contract said we weren’t allowed to change the layout of the garden which meant growing things in pots. I’m not a seasoned gardener so wasn’t sure where to start. I remember walking round our local garden centre in early March with the intention of stocking up on pots, compost and seeds but left empty-handed.

I wasn’t put off though. I follow lots of gardening blogs so after consulting my Grandparents about what was best to grow, I purchased some deep troughs and a half-barrel trough ready to plant some potatoes, strawberries and leeks. This was a good start and I felt so accomplished. This led me to spiralling and buying more seeds…

Since then I have spoken to our landlord and they’ve agreed to let me change the use of an old sandpit that was built into the side of the garden into a raised bed. I want to use this for salad plants and carrots, both from seeds donated by my Mum. I also get to paint the fence and tidy up the plant beds in which I have planted some sunflower seedlings. I may also plant some lavender as I love the smell and colour.

I planted potatoes, runner beans, strawberries, leeks, onions and beetroot in various pots. I have also purchased grow-bags ready for tomatoes, cucumbers, chillies and melons – all plants donated by my Grandparents. I am excited to see how everything turns out and can’t wait to eat some of the produce I’ve grown for myself.