I just found this beautiful book discounted at our local book store. Garden Anywhere by Alys Fowler.
I knew I had to buy this book when I saw that she recommends old wine boxes & wooden cd racks for garden containers. I love her assertion that you can garden anywhere using almost anything. I love that thrifty sort of messy look about her garden.
I've lamented here about my yard space, but for all it's tininess it is a sweet little spot. And there is plenty of room for a garden. Once I cleared my thinking of limits I could see that. Gardening has always seemed like something you do when you have your own house. When you can really put down roots, dig the ultimate garden and call it your own.
I've tried a few things before. A couple of herbs and tomatoes in containers. One year I blogged here about the swimming pool garden. Which I confess didn't work out at all. I'm sure it would have but we had our sprinkler running every night and so it all went a little soggy, oops. Then we decided the kids and I were going to NY for six months and then I completely gave up. Last year we dug up a little garden bed next to the house that did fairly well. We had lots of zucchini, some tomatoes and I think literally two very tiny green peppers.
This year I had thought about making a garden bed from a couple of stacked pallets. Now, I'm thinking a vertical pallet garden would be cool. Maybe some herbs?
Then, at the book store, I spent some time with a book called, All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew. I've heard about square foot gardens for years of course but it struck me in a new way how perfect this would be for us. We can easily move the frame when we need to move & you can grow so much food in just a 4 x 4' square. Well, I've ordered the book and bought the materials. I just need to oil the wood and put it together. I'm super excited to try it out! It will fit in nicely next to the dug out bed and still give the kids some space to play.
All the gardening books say don't try to do too much all at once. Add one element at a time. Good advice, that I somehow can never follow. I would love to find some wooden wine boxes for lettuce and an old wine barrel for potatoes! My poor husband, he just nods his head with glazed over eyes when I talk to him about all my plans, plans, plans. We'll see how much I can do this year.
Wish me luck & a green thumb. Until next time...
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Vertical gardens are so cool!! I have a friend who makes them. they are awesome. They work great for strawberries, too. :)
ReplyDeleteI am right there with ya on making all the plans and getting excited while my husband's eyes glaze over! So true! Poor guy...I start reading and getting ideas and he knows what he's in for...ha ha ;)
~ Enjoy your creative gardening adventures!! ~
Ooo, growing strawberries vertically? I'll have to try that!
DeleteIt sounds like you found a great book! As you know, I've also had gardening on the brain lately. I used to take care of the family garden when I was a kid, and was pretty good at it too. Let's hope I didn't loose my green thumb and I'll wish you one as well while I'm at it ;)
DeleteWay to go Mama!
ReplyDeleteI wish you so much luck and joy with your new gardening ideas! I know you will have so much fun. I've read the book that you showed and her style is great, I love the lush, healthy but kind of messy look to gardens. If I can offer any advice/encouragement please ask us anything. We've been container gardening for so long (in rentals) that I think we've tried it all!
Good luck!
xoxo
~ joey ~
ps. We're reading the Mother West Wind and the Brambly Hedge books right now and really enjoying them!
I checked out your gardenless garden. LOVE it! You really have a lot. Just goes to show you really don't need a ton of space to grow a lot of food. Awesome!
DeleteGlad you're liking Mother West Wind. Haven't read Brambly Hedge yet, but have heard they're really good.
We've used sfg for several years now even though we have plenty of land simply because it's so much easier! I love not having to till anything up every spring, and weeding and watering is much more pleasant.
ReplyDeletei LOVE the old wine box idea... and the stacked pallets. honestly, we have a huge triangular plot of land and we just plant there... rows upon rows... so it's not very creative, but it generally produces. i'm excited to see how the pallets turn out! e.
ReplyDeleteYes, best of luck. Thanks too for the tip of the wooden wine/cd boxes for gardens - my creative mind just didn't stretch that far - I love those things in life that you just don't get until they are suggested to you. As for glazing over and husbands - mine studied horticulture so when I borrow beginners gardening dvds from the library he glazes over in a different way, kinda of with a rolling of the eyes at the start. So again, I wish you all the very best. Love Katie xxx
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas! Last night we planted pea, carrot, spinach and lettuce seeds in my first-ever raised bed. The children helped me build it, and of course plant the seeds. Just a few steps away from our rain barrel/mosquito farm. :D
ReplyDeleteIt is so very hard to not try to do too much all at once. A work in progress. I tend to go all in at once too. I think your pallet garden would be great for herbs. I have seen one before with strawberries too, and then they don't touch the ground and get bugs eating them away. Good luck.
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