Plant a garden
Alice Holden on growing vegetables in small spaces
My belief is that if we focus on fewer things and get a good return for our scale, we will be encouraged to grow more of our own food.
Over the years I have worked for many commercial vegetable growers. They have grown their crops organically and produced a great range of them in order to build biodiversity and resilience. I’ve noticed that if faced with limited space, growers focus on certain crops. These tend to be vegetables that are of higher value, things that grow quickly and keep giving. Take the cabbage: to grow one cabbage from seed can take around a third of a year and it will take up a fair amount of ground. Alternatively, lettuces take around six weeks and, if harvested correctly, will keep producing tender, delicious leaves. In my opinion this gives a far better return and greater pleasure to grow on a smaller, garden scale.
The same can be said of other staple crops — potatoes, onions and large carrots. These are things that it makes sense to grow on a larger scale, as most people simply do not have the land required. However, if our aim is to produce some of our diet, then anyone with a little space can make an important contribution to what they eat. Already many people are doing this and there has been a significant shift.
There are plenty of advantages to growing food at home. First and foremost, vegetables do not respond well to being packed, wrapped, refrigerated and trucked. The delicate and the tender, such as the summer salads and tender herbs that I’ve included in Do Grow, are best delivered straight from plant to mouth.
Sustenance becomes about the whole experience: sowing, picking, cooking, eating and the pleasure each stage of the process gives.
Change your view. Plant a garden.
Getting started
People who grow their own food are often highly knowledgeable. There are plenty of accomplished allotment holders and gardeners out there, but any of us can give it a go. Growing food is something we have done for thousands of years and we are all capable.
When I moved from the Welsh countryside back to the city, I became aware of the difficulties that confront urban dwellers, the main one being space. With my keen gardener’s eye I was noticing weeds sprouting in cracks in the pavement, herbs on the balconies of tower blocks and tomato plants on doorsteps. It reminded me of what can be grown in even the smallest of spaces.
Initially, to get a sense of your growing options and what space you have available, ask yourself the following:
What size container can I fit in my space?
· A simple plant pot, a window box, a raised bed?
What conditions does my space offer?
· Is it sheltered from wind?
· Does it get much sun?
· Is there water nearby?
Do I have any decent soil?
Generally, unless you have been fortunate to inherit well-loved raised beds or garden plots full of dark earthworm-rich compost, there will be work to do! Chances are you’ll find soil that has one or many of the following problems:
· rocks
· clods
· waterlogging
· compaction
· cracking
· weed cover
Soil suffers if it is not looked after, especially if it is left bare. The main problems are compaction, erosion and lack of fertility — through not replacing organic matter taken out at harvest.
Remember the law of return. In other words, as you harvest your produce, remember to replenish the soil with plenty of decent compost. Make the most of the space that you do have by thinking about soil depth, as well as area. In fact, having a small space can be a blessing as you are forced to focus your energy efficiently. Nurturing a small area rather than fretting about taking on the earth will allow you to improve the soil and, in turn, your bounty.
In this way small can be intensive, productive, sustainable and beautiful.
Adapted from Do Grow: Start with 10 simple vegetables. by Alice Holden. Copyright © 2013 by Alice Holden. Published by The Do Book Co.
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