The Downsized Veggie Garden. Kate Copsey
32 carrots
24 lettuces
The Square Foot Gardening system was maybe a little before its time, but in the last decade the popularity of community gardens has made this simple system a standard way of gardening. You can continue adding these 4×4 modules as you have the room and energy to cultivate them. The system also encourages you to fix the grid onto the bed. You will find many community gardens with the grids in place throughout the growing season. After a year or two, you will be able to gauge the grid spacing without a grid, but it does stop over-planting, particularly if you are new to gardening.
Raised Beds. Raised beds work well with the Square Foot Garden philosophy for gardeners who prefer not to till. Whether your native soil is sand or clay, the raised bed will provide the best fertile environment for the plants. The advantage of the raised bed is that you fill it with a soil mix that is weed-free and very loose, which makes it perfect for roots to grow quickly, and easy to pull the odd weed out. Most raised beds are 4-10 inches deep – the greater depth being preferred for growing root crops such as carrots and potatoes. Your local lumber dealer will usually have 4, 6, 8, or 10-inch boards. (Smaller kits of 4×4-foot beds are generally 4-6 inches in depth.) See Chapter Two for lots more about raised beds.
Community Gardens
The interest in growing vegetables has also led to an increase in the number of community gardens with plots available for the local residents. Some require that you reside within the city limits; others are sited in enclosed communities with gardens just for the residents. A typical plot is about 4 feet wide and 8-10 feet in length. Combine these gardens with the Square Foot method of layout, and you can obtain a sizeable harvest that saves hundreds of dollars a year in fresh produce. Community gardens attract a cross section of the community, with a range of ages and backgrounds. They are a wonderful way to get to know other gardeners in your area and chat about different vegetables that you grow – and maybe swap some fresh produce as well. When gardeners of various ethnic origins grow vegetables from their homeland it benefits not only their family but also the other gardeners, who learn about a new vegetable, how it tastes and how to use it. This is a movement that is good for everyone involved.
Visit the American Community Garden Association (https://communitygarden.org/) to find a garden near you.
A Word about Farmers’ Markets and Community Supported Agriculture
Once you are growing a few of your own vegetables, you will start to notice that the freshness and flavor of the warm, just-picked tomato or melon is markedly different from the store-bought varieties. Of course, you cannot grow the whole of your weekly vegetables in a window box, but growing some at home and supplementing with a weekly visit to the farmers’ market is an excellent option. Just like community gardens, we have seen a sharp increase in the number of farm markets springing up in most suburban and even urban areas. The markets can be year-round or seasonal and the rules for selling vary from market to market. The first major crop to ripen in the fields is strawberries, marking the starting point for most seasonal markets – April in warmer areas to late May in colder regions. The end of the season brings us sweet corn and pumpkins and marks the closing of the seasonal markets – September or October for most locations.
Most of the vendors at the markets are the farmers who grow the produce. The variety of produce available from specialty vendors is amazing. If you enjoy heirloom beans or tomatoes, you are likely to find a farmer who also likes them too. And they are happy to share recipes and cooking tips, as well as growing tips if you are trying to grow some at home. Region-wide issues such damp, cool weather that delays or destroys your crop would also hit the local farmers, so talking to them about how they deal with the problems can be a big help.
It’s important to know how the produce is grown. Talking to the farmers will alert you to whether they are growing organically, naturally or using conventional chemical treatments. Most farmers are happy to share their methods with you, particularly if they are growing with as few chemicals as possible.
One popular way to make sure you get great fresh vegetables all through the summer regardless of what you grow is to enroll in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). A CSA farm grows a variety of mixed vegetables through the season and sells shares to the public. The share, or half share, is paid for in advance, and in return the farmer provides a box of produce each week for the shareholder. The shares can also include locally baked breads, eggs and meat. The share can be ready for pick-up at the farm or delivered to a convenient central location. Some farmers prefer to distribute the share boxes at the farm market.
CSA organizations allow the small farmer to fund and plan his or her growing season, knowing that they have a market for the produce. When unusual crops are included in the share, most will give recipes to help you use them. Many have Facebook pages and websites where you can see what is in this week’s share. Or chat with others who are part of the same CSA and find out what they made with the produce. Open days at the farm are also advertised so that you can see the farm working and celebrate the season with your own farmer. ■
TWO
Designing a Vegetable Garden that Works for You
(All About Raised Beds and Containers)
When our eldest and his new wife purchased their first home, we went down to Atlanta to visit them. He took me into the fenced back yard and asked if they could put a small garden somewhere and maybe some herbs. The whole area was bathed in full sun and currently had only lawn with a small foundation bed. Two hours later we had shopped for supplies, assembled this 4×4 kit and and created not just a raised bed filled with colorful lettuce, but also a little herb garden right outside the back door where it is easy to reach. For new gardeners, such an almost instant garden is a perfect place to start.
The “ideal” vegetable garden is the one that fits into your lifestyle, your available space and how it connects with your home activities. What is the best way to evaluate your available space and needs? I recommend making a sketch of your property; it doesn’t have to look professional. A good way to begin your design is to draw the area on a piece of squared or graph paper and mark both the hardscape and vegetation areas.
Hardscape is the part of the landscape that is manmade, including areas that cannot be tilled. Any area covered with concrete or gravel is considered to be hardscape. Mark things like the driveway, fencing, deck or patio – things that can’t be moved or changed. Gravel paths can be moved if necessary, but if they are in a logical position such as a line to the garden shed, they are probably counted as hardscape too.
A typical landscape design takes into consideration the utility areas, such as where the garbage/recycle boxes go, compost areas, and entertainment areas that are currently in place. Also, mark lawns and existing tilled areas and trees. For a patio or deck, be sure to note seating and other amenities you plan to keep. When the overall layout of the property is on paper, the fun begins: where to put the vegetables and how many should I grow?
With so many demands on space, it is often difficult to define just one area for the vegetables. So rather than trying to find one garden space for all your vegetables, try finding areas that can double for more than one use. A small container with lettuce or herbs is quite