Another way we are reducing the single use plastic passing through our kitchen is to grow a small amount of our own fruit and veg.

Growing veg in this way is seasonal. So when the plants stop producing, that’s it until the next growing season, but whilst they last, there\’s no need to buy it wrapped in plastic, and that reduces what we throw away.

I am delighted that for the fruit and veg we don’t grow, some supermarkets, Morrisons is our local one, now offer paper bags for their loose fruit and veg.

Our garden is a small North facing space overshadowed by the house.

Neither of us have a whole lot of spare time, so it has surprised me what we have been able to grow.

I have 3 x 3.0 metre by 0.3 troughs in which I have tried growing a variety of edibles.

It is satisfying to be able to just step outside and cut a few leaves, or beans and bring them into the kitchen for cooking straight away, knowing they are organic, pesticide free, and what\’s more, no plastic wrapping.

Currently these are the things we have growing. We have a few French beans and sugar snap peas.

This is a variety called Sugar Ann. It has a sweet taste and crunchy texture, great eaten raw.

It\’s taken a while for my 3 Painted Lady runner beans to start setting pods, but spotted the first ones today. The red and white flowers on it are pretty too.

The kale is growing well and we\’ve been picking leaves since early spring.

This is a variety called Cavollo Nero.

The cherry tomatoes are looking promising. These are a variety called Maskoto, grown from a free packet of seeds in a RHS magazine.

We also have a few raspberry canes in the borders. I can recommend this variety called Cascade Delight, although the runners spring up everywhere and need keeping in check.

Great to pick a few raspberries in the morning to sprinkle on our cereal.

Last but not least – garlic is one of the easiest to grow in pots over winter. We recently picked ours, and have it hanging in the kitchen. This one is reliable and stores well, called Germidor.

Coming up soon I will share my tips on how easy it is to grow these veg at home, and cut down on more single use plastic going to waste.