Grow your own fruits and vegetables in any space Here are 10 tips to help you get started:

1. Choose your site wisely. Pickaspotthatgetsatleast6-8hoursofsuneveryday,hashealthysoilandgooddrainage.Ifyouplantocommunitygarden,yoursiteshouldalsobeeasytoaccess,visibleandsafe.

2. Check your soil.You’llneedsoilthatishealthyandrichinnutrients.Isitlargelyclay,sandorsilt?What’sthepHlevel?It’seasytodoahomesoilanalysis.Simplypurchaseakitatyourlocalhardwareorgardeningcentre.Plus,youcanimproveallsoiltypeswithcompost.

3. Plan your space.Nospaceistoosmall!Vegetablebedscanbeanyshapeorsizesolongasyoucanreachthemiddletoweed,plantorharvest.Ifspaceislimited,considergrowingvegetablesincontainersormixyourvegetableswithornamentalplants.Manyvegetablesareveryattractiveandcansubstituteforannuals.

4. Choose your plants.Selectvegetablesthatareeasytogrowsuchastomatoes,greenbeans,greenonions,lettuce,swisschard,radishes,cucumbersandzucchini.Mostimportantly,pickvegetablesthatyou’llwanttoeatwhenit’stimetoharvest!

5. Decide on seeds and seedlings.Gardencentresofferavarietyofseedlingsthatareeasytotransplant.Youcanalsostartseedsindoors,whileothersshouldbesowndirectlyintoyourgarden.Checktheplantinginstructionsforbestresults.

6. Plant at the right time.Don’tbefooledbyafewwarmdays.Plantbytheexpectedlastdateoffrost,notbytheweather.Whenindoubt,consultthepackagefordirection.

7. Water effi ciently.Usearainbarreltocollectfreerainwaterforyourgarden.You’llsaveonwatercostsandyourplantswillthankyouforthenaturallysoftrainwater.

8. Go natural with organic pesticides and herbicides.Goonlinetofindnaturalrecipesanddiscovercompanionplantsthatcansupporteachothertoreducepestsandenhancepollination,nutrientuptakeandfoodproduction.

9. Make your own compost.Ifyou’vegotspace,considerusingabackyardcomposter.Re-usingyourfruitandveggiescrapswillcreatenutrient-richsoilandreduceneedlesswaste.

10. Have fun at harvest!Thebestpartofgrowingyourownfoodisharvesttime.Younowhavefresh,organicproducetoenjoywithfriendsandfamily.Trynewrecipesandcelebrateajobwelldone!

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Foods that are good for the environment are also good for your healthHere are 10 tips to healthy eating:

1. Eat locally grown food.Localfoodismorelikelytobefreshandbrimmingwithnutrients.And,localfooddoesn’thavetotravelasfartogettoyou,whichcutsdownonthegreenhousegasemissionsthatcontributetoclimatechange.

2. Look for foods that carry an eco-label.Foodslabelledorganicorlocalandsustainable(suchasthosecertifiedbyLocalFoodPlus)comefromfarmerswhoworkhardtoprotectthewoodlandsandmarshesthathelpcleanlocalwatersupplies.Fertilizersandpesticidesmadefromfossilfuelsandpetrochemicalsalsoaddtoglobalwarming,andmayleaveharmfulresiduesinyourbody.

3. Shop when you’re not hungry.It’sestimatedthatpeopleinaffluentcountriesthrowawaybetween20to30percentofthefoodtheybuy,oftenunopened.Whenyoushoplocalandbuyinsmallerquantities,youeatfreshandwasteless.

4. Enjoy fish that aren’t threatened by over-fishing or metal pollution.Checkwebsitessuchasseachoice.orgtomakehealthyandsustainablechoices.

5. Support Fair Trade when purchasing products such as coffee, tea, chocolate and bananas.Helpproducersindevelopingcountriesgetpaidfairly.Fairtradegrowersalsocommittohigherenvironmentalstandards,suchaslimitingtheuseofpesticidesandprotectingforestedareas.

6. Drink more water, less pop.You’llsaveonemptycalories,consumefewercorn-basedsweeteners,andreducetheuseofplasticbottleswhichmayleachcontaminantsintoyourbeverages.

7. Enjoy fresh, unprocessed foods such as oranges, apples and eggs.Nofoodcomesnaturallyswaddledinplastic,tin,cardboardortetrapak.Unnaturalandexcessivepackagingcreatespollutionwhenit’smadeanddisposed.Foodsthatarepackagedmayalsocontainadditivestoextendtheirshelflife.

8. Eat less meat.Eatingsmallerportionsofhigher-qualitymeatsreducesyourriskofchronicdiseases,andsupportsfarmingmethodsthatreducegreenhousegasemissions,suchasfeedinglivestockgrassratherthancornorsoy.

9. Try the hundred mile diet and the hundred yard diet.Youcantastethedifferencefreshnutrientsmakeandshrinkyourcarbonfootprintatthesametime.Growsomethinginyourownpantry(sprouts),onawindowsill(herbs)orinabackyardorcommunitygardennearyou.

10. Variety is the spice of life! Samplethewidevarietyofplant-basedfoodsthatkeeppeoplefromothercultureshealthy,andhelpmaintainancientandethnoculturalfoodtraditions.