Small Space Vegetable Growing Getting the most out of your space

Framework for Discussion  Introduction  Strategies for a small garden  Strategy Details  Vertical veggies  Vegies in containers  Sprouts  Microgreens  Strawbale gardens  Wicking beds  What we talked about 2

Introduction  Growing your own:  Saves money  Improved nutrition  Fresher produce  Lower food miles  No chemicals  Don’t let lack of access to acres stop you growing your own! 3

Strategies for a Small Garden  Planning  Indeterminate vs determinate veggies  Stacking in space  Stacking in time  Aspect  Use cut-and-come-again veggies 4

Strategies for a Small Garden (too)  Use fruiting veggies  Think vertical  Don’t plant too much of the one crop  Interplant where possible  Try new veggie types/varieties  Try small/medium varieties 5

Strategies for a Small Garden (Tree)  Consider a perennial bed  Consider sprouts and/or microgreens  Make a place for containers  Sow thickly, then thin out  Install straw bale garden  Install wicking bed 6

Vertical Veggies  Maximise use of horizontal space  Cultivate less ground, less time weeding  Increase the light and air getting to leaves  Ease of monitoring & controlling pests & diseases  Increased yields  Improved access to produce  Cleaner produce 7

What are the options?  Trellis  Water Tanks  Fence Veggie Garden  Teepee/circular trellis  Potato cage  Veggie Tower  Container wall  Pallet garden  Hanging basket 8

Veggies in Containers  It’s a good way to start out  The crops are moveable  Can be moved to catch the sun or out of the frost  Can go with you if you move  Good if you are renting & can’t have a garden  If your soil is no good  A great project for kids 9

The Containers  Depth –  Lettuce, rocket, leafy herbs 15cm  Spinach, silver beet – 20cm  Everything else – 30 to 40cm  strong enough for grow medium  Must have drainage holes (or be self watering)  Examples – pots, wood, metal or polystyrene boxes, recycled food tins, garbage bins, buckets etc. 10

The Containers  Self watering containers  Drink bottle  Earth box  20 litre bucket 11

The Soil  Must retain moisture while being well drained and be fertile  Rich, friable garden soil is a good base but add coarse sand & compost  Can add vermiculite or perlite  Or use good quality potting mix  Make your own with sand, compost /worm castings and cocopeat 1:2:3  To keep the fertility up apply liquid manure every week or two. 12

The Veggies  Herbs – basil, parsley, marjoram, thyme.  Tomato, eggplant, chillies & capsicums  Leafy veg - Spinach, silver beet, lettuce  Cabbages, broccoli or brussels sprouts, (require very large containers)  Asian vegetables - Pak Choi; Chinese Mustard; Mizuna; Mibuna  Roots - carrots, radishes & potatoes  Zucchinis, squash and bush pumpkins 13

Sprouts and Microgreens  Veggies don’t get fresher than this!  Packed with vitamins and minerals  Inexpensive to set up and operate  Easy set up using minimum of gear  No yard space is required  Require about 5 minutes per day  Environmentally friendly 14

Sprouts 15

Glass Jar Method  Measure out the seeds – 1 to 2 dessertspoons is a good start  Place in jar and cover with water  Cover top of jar with cloth  Leave overnight  Pour off water and drain  Rinse and drain twice per day  Harvest when well grown  Keep in the fridge for up to a week 16

The Plants 17  Alfalfa (Lucerne)  Adzuki beans  Barley  Chick peas  Wheat  Millet  Buckwheat  Lentils  Sunflower  Fenugreek  Sesame  cannellini beans  kidney beans  Soy beans  Most brassica seeds (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower)

Microgreens  Microgreens are the next step along the plant growth continuum, in that the seeds are planted into a growing medium, germinate, produce roots and a couple of leaves – then we eat them. 18

The Process  Fill the seedling flat with growing medium and tamp down to a firm, flat surface  Sow your seeds thickly but evenly  Tamp down the surface to ensure good soil to seed contact  Cover the seed with a thin layer of growing medium or newspaper  Once germinated and grown to four leaf stage they can be harvested  Harvest with scissors 19

The Plants  Herbs such as – rocket, basil, coriander, mustard, fenugreek  Vegetables such as – Asian greens Beets, brassicas, celery, garden cress, endive, lettuce, peas, radish.  Grains such as – barley, oats, wheat, linseed, buckwheat, sunflower 20

So what do you do with them?  Eat them in salads  Rice paper rolls  Use as a garnish  On top of soups  In stir fries  On sandwiches  In frittatas 21

Wicking bed  Obtain or build container  Line bottom half with plastic to form reservoir  Install filler tube  Fill bottom half with gravel, scoria or wood chip etc  Make a dip in the middle  Fill top half with growing medium (30cm thick max)  Fill reservoir with water, plant out and mulch 22

Straw Bale Garden  Lay straw or hay bale flat on the ground  Soak with water, if using straw add a 25mm layer of chicken manure  Leave for 1-2 weeks to mature  Water regularly (daily)  Materials on the side will help conserve water  Plant seeds into 2cm compost on top or seedlings directly  Use for tomatoes, cucumber, zucchini, capsicums, peas etc  Lasts – 2 seasons 23

What we Talked About 24  Strategies for a small garden  Strategy Details  Vertical veggies  Vegies in containers  Sprouts  Microgreens  Wicking beds  Strawbale gardens

Questions? 25