Lots of people tell me that I am privileged and that they can not grow food as they do not have a garden. Yes I know I am so lucky to have a garden The luxury of having cultivated raised beds is just a dream for some. It is important that we therefore think outside of the box. I believe in being solution focussed rather than believing that I can not do something. My own garden is on a steep hill and most of it is paved. I have had to learn to adapt by growing mainly in pots, most of them recycled. I have had to adapt to growing food in different circumstances in the past.
I haven’t always had a garden. When my children were small we rented a top floor of a large house, and for the first two years I was not allowed to grow in the garden. I was still growing food without a garden as I wanted my children to have the nutrition, and I knew it would save me money. It also saved going shopping as we were up 4 flights of stairs which was no fun carrying bags up with a toddler and a push chair. My window sills were filled with lettuces, tomatoes, herbs and salad onions, rather than the normal pot plants that most people have.
Here are some of the things that I have done so that I could still enjoy fresh, home grown food.
Grew food in doors. I used long plastic tubs on my window ledges and would grow lettuce, radishes, spring onions, and herbs like parsley, basil and coriander in them. I also had tomato and pepper plants in recycled tubs with holes poked in the bottom with a hot metal skewer. They sat in recycled meat trays. We had very little money in those days. I used seeds from supermarket vegetables, and friends would give me a handful of left over seeds as I was only growing small quantities. I joined a local allotment society for £2 which gave me access to lots more salad type free seeds, and I was kindly given a chilli plant, and free produce sometimes when the growers had a glut. Some of the extra seeds I would use to grow microgreens in the kitchen.
This access to food really helped us as in those days, as a full time mature student, I had no real income during the summer except for crafts I sold at a car boot sale, and bits of gardening and cleaning I did for older people. I would put a card up in the local supermarket trying to make some money. The benefits system was not as generous in those days and most of my last grant/loan would be spent on paying the rent for the extra 10 weeks until I got my next next payment in the October. The only secure income that we had was child benefit. The first thing that I started with was cress that my daughter brought home from school in an egg shell, and after eating that in an egg sandwich, it got me thinking that I could grow a lot more. Later I even grew mushrooms in my bedroom from a kit I got for Christmas.
Growing in a hanging basket by the front door, or a tub next to the front door. A friend put two hanging baskets up for me by the downstairs front door. I placed cherry, bush type tomato plants in those. The yellow flowers and the fruit looked nice, and they provided fruit for weeks. The more that you pick them, the more they grow. I also put a tub with potatoes on one side of the front door on the porch, and another with a trellis and green beans, or a courgette. The latter looked pretty and so no one complained. Some neighbours did take odd beans and tomatoes, but that was ok as it was their front door as well. When the potatoes were finished I would grow Kale in one of the tubs over winter.
Put my name down for an allotment and grow on one. Having an allotment is a great way to be able to grow food if you do not have a garden. They do not cost a lot. My last one was £14 a year and that included free water, Prices vary depending on where you live. When I got my first one, all I had was a second hand spade that I had been given. I soon had a collection of old tools that various members gave me as they were glad that a younger person was keen to teach their kids how to grow. My first seeds came free with a magazine, but I soon had a collection of seedlings that fellow allotment holders didn’t need. They are often such kind communities. Allotments take a lot of work, though, and commitment. There are rules, allotment inspections, and often politics are involved. We had two allotments up until 3 years ago but found them very hard work to keep up to as they had weeds like mares tail which are hard to get rid of and need continual weeding. Going somewhere else to water each day is also a bind. We can now grow enough in our gardens to feed ourselves. We did used to give a lot a way when we had allotments but it was nice to meet like minded people.
Grow on outside window sills. In our flat we had stone window sills outside. A friend screwed some long troughs on to the window sills and we grew strawberries in those. I had the old fashioned windows that lifted up.
Grow on a balcony if you have one. I have never had a balcony but my daughter did with her first flat. She grew tomatoes, herbs, and a fruit bush on her balcony, even though it was not a particularly sunny spot. It was nice looking out at the greenery, and made it feel like a garden when she sat eating her breakfast outside in the summer.
Planting things in the wild. Over the years I have done some gorilla gardening. This has involved planting fruit bush cuttings in wild places, potatoes, and things like wild garlic. There is always the chance that the birds or other people will harvest them, but I have still been able to get some food from them, and I see it as helping other people and the wild life.
Look for free food growing in your area. We have boxes growing along the canal that are planted up by volunteers each year for people to take what they please. They are full of things like herbs and beans. We also have wild raspberries and apple and pear trees in abundance in the area to forage. Don’t forget blackberries, and wild garlic too. You don’t need to to be an expert forager to recognise these. If you really can’t grow, these are a good alternative.
The main thing that I would say is don’t give up, and keep experimenting. I even had macrame hanging baskets near the windows with things growing in them. There are so many chemicals and preservatives used on supermarket fruit and vegetables now that every bit that you can eat that is home grown will be good for your health. Please don’t think that because you do not have a lot of growing room that growing things is not worth it. For a couple of years I provided all of our salad leaves in a couple of catering mushroom trays. Growing is also fun, and gives one a sense of achievement. The food tastes so much better as it is fresher as well.
So if you are going to start growing in doors, start collecting your tubs (recycled ones are fine and many are advertised for free on FB market place), your soil, and think about what you want to grow. It is sowing time in a couple of months. With our broken food system, this is a good time to start. If you do not feel up to sowing your own seeds, many garden centres sell small seedlings at low prices. Look for the small independent ones for the best prices. Good luck.
Some wonderful tips. I am super excited about trying to grow vegetables again. I was beginning to feel without purpose and couldn’t think outside the box until I got so much advice and encouragement from you. This is going to be a great gardening year.
I hope so. Surely, it can’t be worse than last year! So glad that you are feeling motivated and feel like you have a purpose now. Thanks for sharing
What a brilliant read in a dreary day like this you have certainly inspired me to get growing veg this year as always thank you so much Toni xx
Aww thanks for your lovely feedback. Good luck x
Last year was such a disaster for most things in my garden that I’ve felt like I just don’t have the energy or motivation to try growing fruit & veg again this year. After reading this I think I might! Loads of great info and tips here. Thanks Toni 😊
No worries. Yes luckily multiple sowing helped me last year, daily slug hunts, glass to stop the pigeons, finding new areas to grow, and keeping things inside until they were quite large before transplanting outside. It was so hard, but maybe you could grow more inside this year.
Thank you for the motivation!
Which micro greens do you grow?
Usually radish and broccoli are the ones that germinate well, but any old seeds that I have get sown and work
Great post and some really good ideas, thank you
Thanks for your lovely feedback
That was very interesting Toni,Thank you.
I think this year we have to grow less. I can’t do a lot at the moment so I will be instructing. Even if I have my operation I would then be recovering so couldn’t get carried away, which I know I would. We have decided to not grow runner beans or to grow a reduced amount. We will grow tomatoes, courgettes and various squash and pumpkins as once they are a certain size they seem to survive slugs and snails more. We are still eating squash from last year and frozen pumpkin.
We have fruit bushes, strawberries, and rhubarb plus a herb bed. In the greenhouse I hope to grow lot’s of basil again and cucumbers amongst the tomatoes.
I do hope the wild garlic comes back again.
I have forgotten potatoes which my husband likes dealing with in his potato bags and possibly grow onions although in this garden slugs do seem to eat them.
I was growing to grow less last year as it is a lot of hard work, though to be honest I do as little work as I can get away with. However, the increased prices, and chemicals, did make me sow more. I think it has to be a balance, as if it is too much pressure (as our allotments became), it stops being enjoyable. You are right, it is about adapting to whatever is thrown at us, too, including the weather and pests. Thanks for sharing