Topic: All ye of little space!

[Marymary]

There have been a few posts here recently from people saying they can't get lotties so are having to grow veggies in their back gardens.  Well today i was having a little count up & realised that in my 7 small raised beds & an assortment of containers & black buckets I am growing over 50 different things including .....

Broad beans
Peas
Runner beans
Bolotti beans
French beans
Butter beans
Raspberries
Strawberries
Blue berries
Black berries
Figs
Black currants
Red currants
Apples
Pears
Potatoes
Cucumbers
Aubergines
Chilies
Peppers
Summer squash
Winter squash
Sweet corn
Mini corn
Jerusalem artichokes
Globe articokes
Asparagus
Lettuce
Celeriac
Celery
Onions
Shallots
Garlic
Rocket
Raddish
Melons
Loads of herbs
Carrots
Parsnips
Asparagus pea
Pac choi
And 65 tomato plants!

Not as much of each as people with lovely big lotties but lots of variety from a very small space.

[lorna]

Crikey Marymary. What a selection. Any pics for us other small area folk?
Lorna

[Rosyred]

That sounds brilliant.... if I could fit that all in my back garden i'd forget the allotment.

[glow777]

can I ask wha your gonna do with the fruit from all the toms

[cambourne7]

i am gobsmacked!

[mc55]

I didn't realise we could grow butterbeans in our climate - do they need any special care ?

Only 65 toms  ..  :o :o I don't even think I'd have room on the lottie if I ONLY grew those !

[debster]

wow thats amazing would love to see some piccies and some space saving ideas for a fellow garden owner. and interested to hear about the butter beans too

[emmy1978]

WOW!! That's brilliant Marymary and you are obviously much better organised than me! I someti mes wish i had big garden rather than lottie plot but i think i'd just end up wanting both. Greedy.  :-[

[Georgie]

I agree that it is possible to grow a huge variety of edibles in a small space but of course you could never be self-sufficient.   I don't think you can beat the thrill of growing your own and tasting the difference even if, like me, you only have room for 3 strawberry plants for example.  On a quick reckoning I think I've got about 40 edibles on the go in a garden which is only 9 foot by 45 foot.  I grow a fair amount of the things on Mary's list and other things too such as watercress, cape gooseberries and I'm going to try a courgette plant this year too.   ;D

G x 

[Good Gourd2]

Thats wonderfull, how do you do it  I`m juggling space  on 15 pole of lotty, perhaps my fault as I have to grow everything I see, we do eat it though and what we can`t manage like if we have a glut then my neighbours cue up for the stuff. ;D

[Marymary]

The butter beans are Fagioli rampicanti from Taste of Italy at T&M - first time I've grown them so don't know how successful they'll be. 

I know we can never be self sufficient in veg with such a small space [I wish  :)] but with just the two of us plus children returning for the hols we manage to grow enough during the summer. 

The 65 toms were a bit of an 'accident'.  First of all I sowed the usual amount then I was given a passata machine so had to sow some San M to make passata & then I got loads of interesting varieties from the pass-the-parcel so I absolutely had to sow them didn't I?  I plan to make lots of passata plus freeze lots of sauce - I made some last year & it was wonderful in the middle of winter.

I have taken some pics & will post them on another thread.

PS forgot
Rhubarb
Water cress
Sweet potato
Cabbage
Chard
Spinach
and most importantly .... chickens  :)

[Jeannine]

Marymary, re the beans. that bean is actually a climbing French bean, It is great and will dry smashing,it will grow without problems and you can use it in soups etc, but I it is not  a butter bean(lima  bean) they are very flat beans, I have several kinds. If you want a few limas I can send you some. XX Jeannine

[Marymary]

Jeannine I know you know your beans  :) [& squashes & tomatoes & loads of things] but I was only quoting from the packet:

'Long, mid green, slightly curved broad pods containing 5-6 large white 'butter beans'. '

The butter beans bit is in quotes so I suppose they are implying they are like butter beans. I just thought they sounded interesting so I'd give them a go.

Thanks for the offer of lima beans but even I have to admit that I have run out of space!  :)

[Multiveg]

We grew czar the past two years - they are good as normal runner beans, but can also be dried to use as "butter beans" (which everyone knows, are an ingredient in chocolate biscuits if made with a "mouse mill")  ;D

This year, will be growing 2 different HSL runners - one down the plot, and one in the garden.

[budgiebreeder]

There is a book called " Square Foot Gardening "It's by Mel Bartholomew and  is very useful to those  ppl with small gardens.

[Marymary]

Thanks BB, I read it some time ago & while I have never stuck to it the basic principles have stayed with me. ie get the soil as good as you can & plant as close as is possible to do.  [Maybe something of an oversimplification & apologies to Mr Bartholomew!] but it seems to work for me.  :)

[carrot-cruncher]

I too use Mel Bartholomew's "square foot gardening".   I have a full sized lottie but it's so full of cr@p that after three years I've managed to get just over a third cultivated.   I use SFG combined with Pauline Pears "growing in beds" to get the most from my plot.   I am only feeding myself but any excess is either traded with fellow plot holders or lands in my second freezer.   The only problem here is that the 2nd freezer is almost full already.

hmmmmmm.....wonder how much a 3rd freezer will cost???

CC

[Marymary]

Try Freecycle!  ;D ;D

[LJ]

WOW  :o You're an inspiration!! I've just started to grow a few veggies in my garden this year for the first time. I can't wait to have a look at your pic's!! Have a feeling I'll be hassling my hubbie to build more raised beds when I see them.................

[Marymary]

WOW  :o You're an inspiration!! I've just started to grow a few veggies in my garden this year for the first time. I can't wait to have a look at your pic's!! Have a feeling I'll be hassling my hubbie to build more raised beds when I see them.................

Ahh that's so sweet - don't think I have ever been anyone's inspiration before.  :)

I have posted some pics in the gallery under Growing in Small Space or something.