How many foods can you grow in one small garden?

That's what we shall discover this year! This year we have decided to try growing a wider variety of vegetables but all in tiny amounts. Because of the rubbish weather we've had in our patch of the UK we're really behind in our planting so, a couple of evenings ago, we took a trip to the garden centre, and then got busy! (That's my studio at the far end and our dog, Georgie, not posing for the picture.)

So, we have a courgette plant, a pumpkin plant and a few French beans in stack of tyres. Usually potatoes grow in these but we've decided to try something else this year. In the two beds we have salad leaves, spinach, carrots, parsnips, red onions, salad onions and leeks. There are a variety of tomatoes in three pots, plus spare carrot plants went into an old watering can. Two hanging baskets hold strawberry plants and lots of herbs are in various containers too! 

On the mostly shady side of the garden we have our wild flower patch (throw a few packets of wild flower seeds onto soil and this is the result). I'm not great at identifying flowers but I think we have poppies, buttercups, pink campion and nettles, among other pretties. We keep the nettles because they provide aphids for insects to chomp on, plus I might try making nettle tea this year. We also added lavender, chive, mint and borage plants a few years ago which are happily mixed in with the wild flowers. And I can tell you the bees and butterflies LOVE this patch! Which is one of the reasons we planted it, but my word, they can't get enough of the lavender and borage!

I dream of having a big enough garden for chickens but this will do for the moment. Are you growing any food this year? Perhaps you have some top tips you can share, would love to hear if you do!

Comments

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Thank you for sharing this. We have a small garden that is in a mess. We're in the process of giving it a make over with the hope of growing as much veg as possible, while adding plants that encourage bees & butterflies & deter pests. It's taken me a while to realise that it's a long process but seeing your garden has shown me that it'll be worth it. Plus I like the way that you've used pots & tyres too. Fabulous!