The Year Round Vegetable Garden in Twelve Square Metres

Food is expensive, and one is not always sure what poisons have been used in its cultivation. Buying organic food is one way to ensure that one ingests no unnatural substances, but organic is even more expensive than “normal” food.

A cheaper, healthier way to provide for one’s nutritional needs is to grow your own food. Doing this does not necessarily take much effort, money or space.

The Site

Choose a flattish piece of ground that measures about 12 ft(4m)x 9 ft(3m). Think ahead at this stage and place it as close to a bathroom or kitchen outflow pipe as is practicable. Make sure that the ground level is below the level of the bottom of the bath – this will get gravity working on your side when watering is needed.

Divide the plot into four sections of about 3 ft(1m)x 9 ft(3m). These sections will provide the basis of your crop-rotation system that will ensure that the ground remains fertile for years of food growing.

Dig all the sections over and add plenty of well-rotted manure or compost. If using manure, ensure that it is all under the ground surface, lest you be invaded by swarms of flies.

The Importance of Crop Rotation

Planting the same vegetable in the same ground year after year can lead to nutrient leaching and a buildup of pests and diseases. Planting different crops in succession, in any given piece of land, alleviates these problems to a very large degree.

Crop rotation can be a bit confusing to the novice, but a general rule is: deep roots, shallow roots, compost, legumes, leaf, compost.

The logic behind this is that deep roots take out nutrients from the lower layer and shallow roots from the upper area. Leaf vegetables have been described as “gross feeders” and will benefit from the addition of compost. Leguminous plants like peas and beans add nitrogen to the soil, enriching it in preparation for the next crop.

A basic sequence for your garden could be:

• Section A: Potatoes and Tomatoes
• Section B: Parsnips, Carrots, Parsley and Lettuce (compost well after this crop)
• Section C: Peas and Beans
• Section D: Cabbages, Cauliflowers, Broccoli and Brussels Sprouts (compost well after these heavy feeders)

You will notice that there is no mention of most herbs, onions, leeks or garlic. Onions and leeks have an extremely long growing time and you need to grow a lot. Because they are fairly freely available and relatively inexpensive, it makes sense to buy them, and use all your available room for the more fun vegetables.

Herbs and garlic can be planted in any spaces between other plants. Most herbs – garlic in particular – are indicated for keeping bugs out of your prized vegetables.

Instead of planting all sections at once, it may suit you to plant just potatoes and tomatoes in Spring. When these crops have been harvested, then plant two sections – potatoes and tomatoes in section A, and parsnips, etc. in Section B. As each crop becomes ready, expand your garden. This method will also help you to ease into the routines needed for cultivating crops.

It is well to take the seasons into account when sowing seed. Tomatoes and potatoes will not do well in a frosty climate. Try turnips or beets in their place during the cold months.

Watering

If you have situated your garden as described above, watering should not be a problem. It is a simple matter to run a pipe from your bath or shower outlet to the vegetable garden.

A length of thin plastic irrigation pipe laid out in such a way that its meanderings cover most of the garden, and pierced at six inch (150mm) intervals will ensure that all household bathing water ends up on your vegetables. Remember to block the end of the pipe.

You’ve paid for that water. Get your money’s worth – use it twice.

Compost

You will probably have to buy compost for your first few soil-doctoring sessions. Putting every scrap of household bio-degradable waste into a compost bin and making your own compost will eventually take care of all your compost needs – a little goes a long way.

Practicing good soil-management techniques like crop-rotation and regular composting will also attract earthworms and other soil-enriching creatures to your garden, where they will happily work for you.

Your vegetable garden and its irrigation system can be as simple or complicated as your pocket and tastes dictate. But once your garden is up and running, it is just a matter of weeding, observation and common sense to keep it flourishing, and putting fresher vegetables than you have ever imagined on your table every day.