I have been thinking lately about growing in pots in my tiny courtyard garden. I want to apply permaculture principles as best I can in this small space. Although I've also been thinking about hijacking a little space in a wild area to grow some secret veggies too. Decisions, decisions...
Each day I can see the sun inching into the garden a little earlier and for that tiny bit longer. I have been procrastinating on this for too long now and I'm hoping that writing this post is going to give me the proverbial kick up the backside I need to get growing.
I am already a bit late with seed starting certain vegetables so I may need to buy some plugs. I am also fortunate to have good neighbors. Despite the lockdown, we have all been supportive of each other. Two of them grow an abundance of herbs and have offered to donate me cuttings, and one of them has been gifting me with pots since I pulled out 2 pallets that another neighbor threw in the back alley. He is building planters from used wood and I thought he would find them helpful. Since then, I have been greeted with pots, a couple of aloes and I'm told there is a spider plant and some herbs on the way too.
My garden is tiny, it's approximately 12ft sq at the main part and I have a side walkway running from the kitchen door into that little main bit. I've had a million ideas in my head as to what to do with it, using recycled materials but my dilemma is this; The property is rented and I'm not sure how long I am going to be here. My previous house had an even smaller garden but I had inherited some lovely raspberry canes and herbs, we didn't stay there very long as my eldest daughter moved back home, so we needed an extra bedroom.
I know I'd like to do something with it but need to plan and find things to repurpose rather than buy it all new. Here it is in its current state. It leaves much to be desired and the angle from which I took the photo isn't great, but this is what I am working with. How lovely are my neighbours upcycled planters? See the pink chest of drawers to the right?
This picture was taken back in September last year and it still looks the same out there now. I have a rough design idea in my head which I've sketched out here. It's not to scale, more of a guide as to how I can make the most of the small space and allow my kids a little bit too.
Speaking of my kids, I am glad that the littlest dude can still identify many herbs and wild plants. He loves to forage blackberries. While we were out walking today he went to look for them and returned rather disappointed, until I reminded him that the fruit appears at the end of summer. Once finding the comfort in this knowledge, he was off in a shot again looking for places to explore with his brother.
The wild patch where the old forts were has a few secret bunkers that have now rewilded with some pioneer plants. It's enjoyable to watch how nature reclaims what is hers. The concrete memories of WW2, slowly fading under the canopy of brambles and ground elder. It's the place I like to visit to harvest the stingers (nettles) and cleavers as it's quite vast and less likely to be polluted with car fumes or dog pee/poop.
Above is the area in question. I keep contemplating whether anyone will notice or care if I grow a few things here. It's close to my house and at least when the boys come with me I don't look so suspicious.
It would be amazing to have a surplus of food and start a little 'Food Is Free' box at the end of my road. So the question is, do I throw caution to the wind and give it a go? I guess it couldn't hurt to chuck a few seeds in the ground and see what happens.
I like that even though I have hardly any space at home, there are these wild spots dotted around fairly close by. It tends to make up for the lack of space, the prospect of growing things outside the confines of the squareness and the pots really appeals to me too. Before I get too carried away about guerilla gardening, there are few things I still need to think about within the boundaries of the courtyard garden.
One method that wouldn't normally be considered for planting in pots is the 'three sisters'. A traditional planting technique that native Americans have used for centuries, it draws on the idea that three types of plants work in conjunction with each other to support, nourish and protect from pests and diseases, create a microclimate for each other and protect the soil.
Whilst thinking about this technique I also came up with a poem as a way of remembering how it works.
Three sisters, united together,
Each supporting the growth of the other,
Protecting from the ground up,
One stands strong
Three sisters, interlocking lives,
Circle of guardians,
Strength of the divine.
One who intertwines.
Three sisters, cover their ground,
Sharing their nourishment
Free from invasion,
One who sheaths.
Three sisters, eternally friends,
complimenting,
growing,
abundantly extend.
Can it be done in large container-type pots though? It is certainly possible and people have been successful, so the only thing I really need to do now is start preparing and planting seeds, not to mention finding the courage to hijack that wild area...
One thing is certain, I'll have that poem in my head every time I work on this goal.
~ONE LOVE~
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