You have been thinking about it for a while now, maybe some of your friends already do it and they can’t stop talking about how fresh and healthy their fruit, herbs and veggies are. Maybe you are on a tight budget and are concerned about rising food costs, or maybe you are worried about what chemicals and pesticides are ending up in your food.
Whatever the reason, or reasons are for wanting to start your own edible garden, now is the perfect time. Over the last few years home or urban gardening has come back into fashion for a number of reasons. Most of our grandparents did it, so why don’t we? The answer may be that you live in a small place with no yard, or your work scheduele is too demanding, or maybe you thought it was just too hard and were put off trying.
For me is a no brainer, the benefits are many:
It’s great, free exercise
It gets you out into nature and off the couch
It gives you an enormous sense of achievement when you harvest
It’s (almost) free food all year round
The microbes in soil are like a natural prosac
It teaches our children where food comes from
And I could go on and on…
The joy I get from watching my family eat and drink food produced chemically free, naturally and healthily from my own backyard is undescribable. I have been growing food since I was 13 years old, learning along the way from my failures and successes, getting a helping hand from friends and family, and enjoying every minute of it.
Whatever shape or size, location, or soil type your place is in, whatever weather patterns or conditions you face, there are solutions for you.
Step one: Identify what you want to grow and why.
Do you just want a few herbs to add to your pasta ? Would you like to have 6 different citrus trees? Do you crave parsnips and can’t remember ever tasting ones as good as your grandmothers?
The first step is figuring out just what it is you want from your edible garden. Do you want your favourite seasonal fruit and veggies?
You can make a visit to a local nursery and ask about how well they grow in your region and when is the best time to plant. It is important to take note of how much water and sun they need, how much pruning and care, and how long before you see any fruit. It can take 4 or 5 years for a very small tree to produce, so if that sounds like too long to wait, then perhaps invest in something more established.
Ask yourself if you would like to grow seedlings. Seedlings are very cheap, from one packet you can get hundreds of plants. Buying heirloom seeds is a great idea too, they reproduce their seeds every year, and can be planted over and over from the one original purchase.
If you want to grow for the fun, exercise and health benefits then go right ahead. If you want to grow to feed your family and friends, great go for it. It doesn’t matter why, just do it!
Step two: Work out how you are going to do it.
The easiest way for most urban gardeners is to set aside some room and begin working over the soil in preparation for your crops. But due to a number of factors this is not always achievable, the number one reason being house blocks are getting smaller, or you may have no yard at all.
If you have the room, you can roughly draw up a plan. Decide how much yard you want or need for a deck, b.b.q, kids toys, shed etc and set that aside (you can use sheds and fences to assist in growing creepers and other plants, but more on that later).
When planning your garden, it is important to remember the principles of permaculture, that is working with what you have, the natural soil and lay of the land. The less you can disturb this, the better. If your soil is mostly clay, and no amount of gypsum will break it up, then you may need to import some soil and build raised beds. If your soil is too sandy then perhaps choose hardy plants, or add compost and wetting agents.
Look at the direction your garden is facing, does it get a lot of sun or hardly any at all? Most plants need a lot of sun and light, some love the shade, but if possible you are better to choose a sunny position. Consider the shade that any fruit trees will cast over your veggies, or neighbours trees and objects over the fence. If you have a brick wall, your citrus will thank you over winter for planting in front of it (in cooler areas), but other fruit trees like apples and pears love the cold winter when they go to sleep, so keep them away.
Potatoes are a fantastic way to break up soil. If your soil is a bit tough, consider working if over with compost and manure, and planting a big crop of potatoes. Not only will you get the best spuds you’ve ever had, the next year the soil will be far looser and easier to work over.
If you have problems bending over, it may be smart to build raised beds, you can go up one foot, or one metre, it’s up to you, but keep in mind you will probably need to import some soil. Raised beds can be very handy for your back, but also for drainage, particularly if the original soil is full of clay, as most plants don't like having soggy roots.
What if space is tight?
For those with small backyards, decks or balconies, all is not lost. The answer is to get a bit creative. Vertical gardens are the new black, it is amazing how much you can grow if you use your space wisely. Herbs and some veggies can thrive up against a wall, most of us wont be growing for more than your family and friends, so you can keep the size down to a very cosy pallet, or system consisting of 6 to 10 small pots. An added bonus, choose herbs that keep the mozzies away and grow them up the wall next to the b.b.q.
Espalier is another great way to make the most out of a small space. Espalier is the art of training a tree into the shape you want it. It is perfect to grow along a fence line, or up a garage wall, or to block the wind etc. The tree will benefit from careful localised pruning, never letting it go crazy and keeping the desired shape. The fruit that will grow is of a very high standard, due to the fact that the sun will hit the entire tree in equal measures. I love espalier, it has become one of my favourite hobbies, at the moment I have Peach, Nectarine, Apple, Pear, Plum, and Apricot. Some are growing in a vase shape, some like a pitchfork and the others growing out sideways from left to right at 4 different levels.
Step three : Get planting
If you are going to grow your own seedlings, you need to make note of the weather conditions. If you are in a cooler area, then planting before the last frost may not be so wise. The seeds need warmth to germinate, if they somehow manage to do so in mid winter, then the frost will probaly kill them or severly damage them after they sprout. A good idea is to construct a small greenhouse, it doesn't need to be the Taj Mahal, a simple set up that keeps the frost off will suffice. You can buy little kit green houses from nurseries, or you can even keep them on a sunny window sill inside untill the last frost has passed. this way you will have a head start on when Spring finally comes around.
If you are going to plant fruit trees, take note of the fact if they are decidious or not. In Winter you can find bare rooted fruit trees (that is without a pot or soil) going for a lower price than in Summer. Once you get them home you need to keep the roots damp for a few hours then plant them where you desire. Remember if you keep them in pots, such as on a blacony, then in general they need more water than in the ground, if the leaves start turning too yellow, then you may be over watering so back off a little.
Companion Planting
One very important question to consider when planning out the postion of your veggies, is what plants work well together? That is, when planted close by with one another, do the plants help each other, or hinder each other. There are many guides on companion planting online, in books or at your local nursery. A few examples are - plant carrots with lettuce, chives leeks and rosemary, but keep them away from strawberries and cabage. Plant potatoes with coriander, marigold, beans and corn, but keep away from pumpkin, cucumber and tomatoes.
The lists are very comprehensive. The reason is that some plants attract pests more than others, or take more nutrients for example, and choosing plants which have the opposite function. or attract pollinators and good insects, is a vital part of a succesful garden.
When you companion plant, there is no need to seperate the crops into giant rows like the market gardeners do. It is done that way commercially for ease of planting and maintenance, and so the tractors and workers can easily tend to them. There is no need to do this in your backyard, it only helps attract predators and pests.
You now have a very simple base in wich to begin your edible garden. Good luck and let the fun begin, and look forward to your first bite into your first harvest.