This will inspire you to get outside! 🙌
Discover our favourite cottage garden path ideas – from winding walkways scented with lavender to playful paving and more
Cottage backyard ideas offer a feast for the senses. Be inspired to turn your garden into a relaxed and inviting oasis
Want to create a unique outdoor space? Our rustic garden ideas are packed with tips on adding color and personality with furniture, salvage and natural materials
Cottage backyard ideas offer a feast for the senses. The appeal of cottage backyard ideas are rooted in their informal charm: brimming with color, texture...
If you have a narrow garden then this is perfect for you...
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I've had my first allotment plot for just over a month. What are the first things to consider when taking on a new allotment plot?
Cottage backyard ideas offer a feast for the senses. The appeal of cottage backyard ideas are rooted in their informal charm: brimming with color, texture...
Food Security Is Just a Seedling Away By Janet Melrose and Sheryl Normandeau During WWI and WWII and into the 1950s, the Canadian government encouraged its citizens to grow their own food. Not only would you be supplementing your own food supply at a time when rations were scarce and store shelves were growing bare, … Continued
Long garden ideas should be well balanced and not have any unused or uncultivated areas. Our 16 ways to landscape an extensive outdoor space can help with this
These children's garden design ideas introduce children to the fun of garden play. Filled with colorful plants, children will love growing their own food and flowers.
I don't claim to be a gardening guru, but I have been gardening seriously for well over 25 years now, so I have picked up a little wisdom along the way... I know that at this time of year some people will be acting upon their New Year Resolutions, one of which may involve a foray into self-sufficiency, sustainability, eating more healthily, growing one's own food, etc, so in this post I'm going to offer a few tips for anyone setting out to start their own first Veg Plot . 1. Before you start, take a look round and see what other people have done. Read some gardening books (get them from your Library if you don't own them yourself); visit some websites; read some blogs; look for something that inspires you - and then copy it, or at least use it as your guide. One such resource is the website of my friend David Offutt, the Gastronomic Gardener, who is running a series of articles on starting-up your own garden, which will provide you with some useful initial advice. 2. Size matters! Think very carefully about how big your veg plot is going to be. Gardening is not necessarily hugely time-consuming, but there is no point in starting a massive plot if you are only going to be able to devote an hour a week to looking after it. It's probably best to start small - maybe with just one raised bed or a few containers or something - and expand later if you enjoy the hobby. 3. Don't be in too much of a hurry. I know most people will be just itching to get some seeds sown, but it really is best to prepare your ground first, and delay sowing until everything else is ready. If your new veg-plot is "virgin soil" (for instance if it was until recently covered in grass / turf), then you will need to dig it thoroughly, eliminating any perennial weeds, removing the bigger stones and any other miscellaneous debris - such as builders' rubble. You should also enrich the soil by digging into it a fair bit of "organic matter" - which can be either well-rotted animal manure, or compost. Being a newcomer at this stage, you probably won't have any home-made compost, but if you're going to be a serious gardener you soon will have! For now, just buy some from the garden centre... 4. Only sow or plant when the weather conditions are right. Sowing seeds too early in the year is the most common cause of crop failure. It is better to delay until the weather warms up before sowing. In the UK this means about April. [Of course, if you have a greenhouse, or indoor heated propagators, you can get things started earlier.] Late-sown seeds usually seem to grow quicker, and usually catch up with those which have been sown early and have been struggling to survive. Also, don't sow or plant if the soil is very wet, or very cold. 5. Only grow what you like to eat. Have a Family Conference and discuss what you are going to grow. There's no merit in growing something that produces a bumper crop of veg that no-one in your family will eat. On second thoughts: you may decide to go into "Growing for Showing" - growing veg that is destined for the Exhibition table rather than the kitchen worktop. In this case, it obviously doesn't matter how things taste, but I suggest that you leave this type of gardening for a year or two until you have mastered the basics! 6. Explore the concept of Value For Space Rating (VSR). Basically this involves getting the best return from your space- judged not just in terms of weight / volume, but also in terms of things like price and availability, and the time required to bring the crop to maturity . Maybe you would like to read this blog-post that I wrote some while ago on the subject of VSR. 7. Accept the fact that gardening, like any hobby, takes time to learn. You wouldn't expect to be a World-Class golfer in your first year of playing the game, would you? Therefore be realistic in your expectations. You may not get a bumper crop of perfect veggies first time round, but I assure you that you will get plenty of pleasure from eating anything you have grown yourself, however wierd its appearance! And with experience your harvests will improve. 8. Accept the fact that the weather has a big part in determining the success or failure of your enterprise. Plants are living things, and you will need to consider their requirements: how / when will you water them? How will you protect them from sun / wind / snow / frost etc? How will you support their upward growth? (e.g. bean-poles, netting, stakes etc). If you have enough funds available, I certainly recommend investing in crop-protection measures, such as fleece or cloches. Many of the "hardware" items involved in gardening are durable and will last many years if properly looked after, but there is no escaping the fact that you will need to spend a bit of cash up-front. The mini-greenhouses in my next photo were each bought for less than £10. 9. It's not just the weather that you need to guard against either; it's also animals, birds and insects. I have a lot of trouble with foxes in my garden (they root around in the soil searching for worms) so I often cover my crops with nets. Chicken-wire is also a useful asset if you have only a small space to protect. Other people may have a similar problem with birds - especially pigeons, which can quickly destroy any crop of succulent veggies. Slugs and snails are probably the biggest threat to many gardens, and you will need to consider your plans for deterring them. I use proprietary Slug Pellets. I've tried everything else, and nothing works as well. These days you can buy environmentally-friendly ones, so you can use them with a clear conscience. 10. Diversity is good. In my opinion, it is best to sow / plant small quantities of lots of different veggies rather than huge quantities of only one or two. My reason for saying this is that I have found that despite your best efforts, some years some crops will not do well, whereas others will thrive. You don't know in advance how each will perform, so it's best to hedge your bets, by growing as big a variety as you can manage. Another good approach is to try a few of the mixed packs of seeds, such as the variants of "Baby Leaf Salad". You could also try one of those selections of mini plug plants, grown for you by the supplier to the stage where they are ready for planting-out. This post is already very long, so I'll stop here for now. Subject to positive feedback, I may revisit this theme later. I'll leave you with one more photo... Now get out there and grow something!
25 best vegetable garden design ideas & easy layout plans for beginners & pros to grow your own food in a front or backyard edible landscape.
If you grow food a community garden plot here are some special considerations to keep in mind when picking which vegetables you're going to plant.
Allotment garden inspiration | Hello Victoria
Get the most out of your growing space with these small vegetable garden ideas. Your plot will soon be brimming with fruit, vegetables and herbs
Growing your own greens at home is very rewarding, but it can also be demanding. For one, you need enough space to cultivate crops. That could be in a shed, a greenhouse, or, if you’ve not got the space at home – in an allotment. If you’re keen on
These sloped garden ideas show how creative landscaping, structural work and planting can deliver an impactful garden
Cottage backyard ideas offer a feast for the senses. The appeal of cottage backyard ideas are rooted in their informal charm: brimming with color, texture...
Permaculture has been challenging to succinctly define, so let’s explore it a bit. What is permaculture? And why is it so important?
These budget garden ideas prove how you don't need much money to tap into nature and beautify your outdoor space. No matter how big or small your growing spot may be.
25 best vegetable garden design ideas & easy layout plans for beginners & pros to grow your own food in a front or backyard edible landscape.
These small permaculture garden layout ideas make sustainable gardening and growing your own food as simple as pie!
Inspiring narrow garden ideas and tips to help make the most of your small outdoor space
25 best vegetable garden design ideas & easy layout plans for beginners & pros to grow your own food in a front or backyard edible landscape.
Got a long garden and want to know how to landscape and style it? Well check out this quick post with pics and ideas for long gardens across the web.
This small, rectangular garden space has been given a new lease of life with a mix of big design ideas and pretty planting
How to grow vegetables in containers versus a garden plot. The differences in taking care of vegetable plants growing in containers instead of in the ground.
These budget garden ideas prove how you don't need much money to tap into nature and beautify your outdoor space. No matter how big or small your growing spot may be.
It's not all that hard to create a secret garden of your own. Learn some simple keys that turn a little spot in the yard or garden into special place.
In an extract from his new book, 'How to Create an Eco Garden’, John Walker explains how to turn an unassuming urban plot into an eco-friendly haven.
Looking to have a garden in the future? Here are some layout ideas of how you can make your garden look whether you live in the city or country.
25 best vegetable garden design ideas & easy layout plans for beginners & pros to grow your own food in a front or backyard edible landscape.
Welcome creatures great and small with our wildlife garden ideas – from chic bird feeders, pretty ponds, plants for pollinators, and more
Fences are useful for providing privacy, security, and boundary definition, but they can also be an eyesore in an otherwise
Are you ready to plant your garden, but am unsure of how to lay it out? Here's a collection of vegetable garden plans and layout to inspire you.
