How to get started with your own edible garden

CapeTalk’s Pippa Hudson speaks with Ben Getz from Urban Harvest.

Listen below:

With soaring prices in the shops, having some of your own food right in your backyard could be a game-changer.

Even with just a few pots on a sunny balcony you can bring fresh herbs, veggies, and fruit into your home.

This is not only good for your pocket, it can be great for the environment to live more sustainably.

“It is very much the most ethical food you can get. There are no travel miles, no packaging, and you cannot buy it fresher.”

- Ben Getz, Urban Harvest

Getz says that all you really need to get started is a spot in the sun that is sheltered from the wind.

If you are doing a bigger vegetable garden he recommends a raised bed, and in smaller spaces you can go with a container garden with a drip tray.

Next you will need some proper potting soil, mixed with compost.

Getz says that mushroom compost tends to work well with edible gardens... otherwise he recommends making your own fresh compost for the best results.

RELATED: How to start composting in your backyard

When you start planting, he says companion planting - where you plant different plants in the same pot - will help keep your garden healthy and thriving.

“Mix it up, diversity is strength.”

- Ben Getz, Urban Harvest

Scroll up to the audio player for more.