The Pragmatic Gardener

Imagine my surprise when I opened my newspaper and saw this!

This Bloke’s garden 2  

Following on from last month where I went on about the myriad benefits of maintaining a small garden vege plot, this month I will explain how I put my plots together and why I did it the way I did.  Now it doesn’t matter if you are used to the traditional ¼ acre, or have a wee concrete paved postage stamp.  The theory is the same and the plot will work just as well in either setting.  The point is that once it is set up, it will be a pleasure rather than a chore to maintain.

What you are looking for is a nearly level space for your plot which will be 1.2metres square (or 4 feet in the old money) that gets a reasonable amount of sun.  If you are blessed with choice, you could look for a space that isn’t too susceptible to winter frosts, is away from the nutrient robbing roots of large trees or hedges, and doesn’t get too much shade.  Chances are that if you enjoy sitting there in a deck chair, your veges will like it there too.  You will need to consider a couple of other things too in this planning stage: Can you walk around all four sides of the proposed plot? You will need to be able to reach the mid-point without standing on the plot, and if it is on grass you need to be able to fit a mower around it.  Is there anyone (Wife, Husband, Partner, landlord etc.) I need permission from? Is there an able bodied friend, neighbour, relative I can ask if I need a little help setting this up? This project may well present you with an opportunity to break the ice with someone and make a new friend.

This is the stage where you need to start collecting a few things and perhaps organise a trip to the hardware store.  For each plot you will need eight fence palings from a timber merchant or hardware store.  They should only cost $2 or $3 each, or less if you are canny enough to shop around or strike a sale. The size you want is 150mm x 1.2m x 25mm (or 6” x 4’ x 1”).  The ones I use are treated – it is your choice.  I don’t believe I have exposed myself to anything too nasty, and my veges grow very well so I have made an informed choice and because of that my plots have some rot resistance.    Yes, you can use old railway sleepers, bricks, hay bales, or any number of other things, but the advantage of using palings is that they are just the right size, all exactly the same size, and the ends are square so you don’t have to go to the trouble of cutting them yourself. While you are at the hardware shop you will need a couple of dozen galvanised nails. 75mm decking nails are ideal – they have a flat head and have ridged sides to improve holding.

If you do some research beforehand you should be able to find 40litre bags of garden compost and potting mix suitable to fill your finished plot for a reasonable price. I have done a 50/50 mix of the cheapest of each I could find and it works fine. (I can already hear the howls of protest, but all I can say is that it works fine for me.)   An empty plot will swallow 8 or 10 bags, but if you use a bale of pea straw on the bottom first you can get away with a fraction of that amount, the pea straw will break down over time and you just need to top the plots up with compost every spring.  For me there is no great science, I am just looking for an economic weed free way to fill my 1.2metre squares with some sort of growing medium.  I’ll be adding all sorts of organic goodies as time goes on so don’t stress, its not that critical.  You could source good bulk medium from a garden centre in bulk if you like – your choice again, the bags work for me.  This could also be where you get your new agile friend to help bring the bags to your plot.

You should also start saving newspapers about now.  A couple of weeks worth of the newspaper should be enough, or the equivalent amount of any other non-glossy paper based product such as cardboard.  If you don’t get the paper delivered, ask a neighbour.

Now we are ready to put this thing together.  Assemble four of your palings to form a hollow square.  Two nails through one end of each paling into the end grain of its adjoining one should be enough. Place your hollow square onto the spot you have chosen and make sure its fairly level by digging out any high spots. Check that it is still square by measuring across the diagonals – if they are the same then it is square – at least that was the case when Pythagoras was a lad.

Now you need to make another hollow square and stack it on top of the first one. You can secure them together by ‘skewing’ a nail in each side from the top paling into the bottom one.  At this point you could further secure the structure by hammering a wooden peg into the ground inside each corner.

Collect your pile of paper and start ‘paving’ the inside of your box.  You want a good thick layer (3 or 4 days worth) over the whole bottom to supress any weeds that may try to pop up.  On top of this goes your chosen growing medium – perhaps a 200mm layer of compressed pea straw with 100mm of potting / compost mix on top. Fill the plot right to the top as it will compress with time.

Next post:  Planting

This Bloke's Garden

Now for something completely different from the travel adventure theme.....  This is the first of a series of articles I am writing for our Age Concern Otago monthly magazine 'Community in Action'.  It struck me that this isn't just for the elderly - anyone can benefit from these easy care garden plots. The qualifier is that I am not an expert - what I describe works for me and has come from my own experiences - trial and error if you like.  If you need a textbook there are plenty available in the shops, library or online.  Please enjoy the spirit of these posts - you needn't take them too seriously!!

I get a huge sense of satisfaction from being able to pluck a few fresh leaves from my small vege plot to make a salad and I feel self-righteous every time I pull a handful of baby carrots to supplement our dinner veges.  In dollar terms, I suspect I’d be marginally better off buying my greens from the supermarket, and I certainly have no illusions about being self-sufficient, or being an expert in the field [excuse the pun], but for me the three tiny 1.2 metre square plots I maintain have many more benefits to offer than just fresh produce. 

Physical and mental fitness, fresh air, social connectivity with like-minded souls (even if it is just exercising bragging rights over a bumper crop with your neighbour), a sense of purpose, and a source of pride and satisfaction are just some good reasons to persevere with an edible garden plot.

With our short Southern growing season it can be a challenge to grow some crops.  Enjoying the ‘fruit [and veges] of your success’ involves planning and coordinating a series of tasks, often over a number of months.  Sometimes too there are disappointments.  For those times there is always the supermarket option.  A keen though lazy gardener, I have always been interested in easier and more efficient ways of doing things.  Because of a dodgy back, double trenching huge plots just doesn’t do it for me and my gardens have no use for shovels or other heavy tools. 

Over the next few months I’ll share a series of short articles describing how I put my own plots together so you too will be able to enjoy a productive and enjoyable low maintenance and relatively cheap garden that will be the envy of your peers come spring.