If you have recently retired and moved to a property in Turkey you’ve no doubt found the Turkish weather, blue skies and sunshine days utterly inspiring. So inspiring in fact that you may be thinking about doing some gardening? At Oceanwide Properties Turkey we’re big fans ourselves and here’s some of our tips for gardening in Turkey:
Fresh markets: grow your own
Fresh produce markets are an age old tradition in Turkey. Whether you live in an urban or rural environment, more often than not there will be a market selling vegetables, herbs, fruits and other healthy home grown products. That’s because, thanks to Turkey’s perfect weather, even the most inexperienced gardener can achieve success.
According to season
Whether you’ve bought property in Turkey with a lovely garden, or planning on renting a city apartment, as long as you have a little patio or patch of soil, growing your own small vegetable and fresh herb garden is easy. Turkey is a Mediterranean country so here’s the deal on seasonal veggies: early spring is a time for spinach, rocket, celeriac and watercress. When the temperatures rise, start planting peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers (the latter require some space) and summer turnips. These can all be planted either on a small garden patch or in containers. To water your plants, either use collected rainwater in early spring, or normal tap water during dry summers.
Turkish cuisine & fresh produce
Once settled in Turkey, sampled its local cuisine and perhaps cooked a few of your own traditional Turkish dishes, you will be amazed at how creatively the Turkish nation use fresh local produce for their delicious meals. To grow your own fresh produce will be even more rewarding when adding them to those famous traditional Turkish recipes. After all, most Turkish cooks do – you’ll find all the ingredients for their meals growing right outside their back door. And as for the spices, they can always be found in the village market.
Exchange with the neighbours
Turkey and especially rural Turkey is known for its traditional culture where neighbourly care and interest prevail. If you live on a Turkish property in the countryside, get to know your neighbours over the garden fence. Offer to swop or barter some of your fresh produce and ask for local fresh produce gardening advice. This is also a great way to adapt to local lifestyles and mingle with the local community members.
Turkey’s Mediterranean climate is the ideal climate to spend time outdoors, close to nature. If you have always dreamt of your very own Mediterranean garden, what better way to do so than to grow your very own fresh produce garden in Turkey. And, if you find yourself so inspired that you need to look for a bigger property for sale in Fethiye with more garden space, then do give us a call here at Oceanwide Properties for local estate agent services and advice.
image via workaway.info
