Garden share collective – Size

Today I am focusing on the size of part of my garden I visit and pick form every day, my kitchen garden.  I wanted an area close to the house and kitchen that I could nip out to, for herbs, spinach, chillies, salad leaves, whatever is in season.  I didn’t want to have to walk down to the end of the yard with my head lamp on (can you imagine it!!)  at night where my other beds are to grab something I needed.  Some nights I go out there more than once!

In 2011 I gave Mr GH the brief, we worked out the sizes together, the inside planting size of my kitchen garden bed is 2555mm x 555mm about 700mm deep and it is 7 steps from the back door.  We used salvaged sandstone and bricks, damp coursed the foundation painted the inside of the bed with tar and lined it with core flute.  The base is gravel then I did a lasagne layering of prunings, compost, manure, straw etc and we have irrigated it as well and have a shade structure for the summer.

The kitchen garden is a great success and beautiful to look at,  this winter I have planted in it :

• Oregano
• Mini red cabbage
• Chillies x 3 they have carried over from summer I have pruned them and will see how they go.
• Corriander
• Beetroot
• Spinach
• Lettuce x 4
• Pansies x 2
• Primula x 3
• Salvia x 2 again from summer I just cut them back and they re-shoot.

Being a highly productive bed I add compost and manure each season and every time I add some new seedlings, Once a plant has finished producing or gone to seed I pull it out and add something else in season straight away.  At the rear of the bed we have added a trellis in Summer I grow cherry tomatoes which use the trellis, peas as well.  The rear is also a parsley bed which I let self seed and I have thyme growing there as well.

Can’t let you go without seeing a few pieces of art that I have in the bed as well!

Thanks to the girls from Garden share collective, Lizzie, Kate and Krystie who each month encourage us to share our gardens and what we are growing. I have really enjoyed having a theme to write about, thanks girls.