PREPPERGIRL.UK: THE GARDEN / GROWING FOOD

I cannot claim to be growing food to stockpile and survive and am certainly no expert in the gardening department. The intention of my gardening is to keep in practice, iron out faults, get the kid involved, and have a little additional fresh produce. Indeed it will be possible to produce more should the time arrive to become more reliant on home grown with the problems already ironed out. Oh the tractor, relevant to the post but not mine ha.

Here is a little ground we opened up for additional growing space which goes to show that you do not need lots of space to grow some fresh produce.

Opening up some ground for some growing , you can't eat concrete.

Breaking the concrete

The weeds cometh

Ready for planting

Beans and lettuce

Rockery built from the broken slabs / rubble

The rockery provides a good area for the bugs

We have an all walled garden, the front being all concrete the rear half and half, could open up more ground if needs be although at the moment, to avoid argument, it's a no ha.

A few achievements so far include French bean, runner bean, rhubarb, potato, tomato and lettuce, numerous herb, oh the carrots, proved a disaster three times over.
FRENCH AND RUNNER BEANS

LINK - Growing French and runner beans

LINK - Growing beans

LETTUCE

LINK - Growing lettuce

TOMATO

LINK - Growing tomato

RHUBARB

LINK -Growing Rhubarb

CAULIFLOWER

Sharing a disaster here, ensure your netting is secure, large white butterflies.

SEED/BEAN STORAGE

I buy some seeds, some collect from growing. The box i store in a cool dry place the tubes within contain silica gel sachets to which i add the seeds to remove any moisture trapped.

LINK - How long do seeds last ?

LINK - Millennium seed bank

FLOWERS

Sussex regiment in flowers at a nearby town

Remember the bugs and bees in your garden !

It's not all about growing food, flowers wild or otherwise, in container or ground are equally important.

Perhaps consider a little wild section or even a 'bug hotel'

Leave a wild unkempt area if you can

BUG HOTEL

Bug hotel

PONDS
Another idea to introduce further activity into your garden is introduce a pond, if you don't want a full size consider a micro pond, It will become a mini eco system in summer. This one is a converted baby bath, water mint is growing well.

Another pond, i salvaged part of a larger one that was damaged and getting dumped

LINK - Make your garden frog friendly

NEVER ALLOW YOUR POND TO BECOME
DRY ONCE IT IS ESTABLISHED

CONTAINER GROWING
Just about any container of the right size can be used, ensure appropriate drainage though.

Link to another page on this blog at the bottom of this article regarding container growing

STARTUP AND BRINGING ON

You can purchase a mini greenhouse cheap enough, this one from Wilko, to give your growing a safe and good start before planting out.

WARTIME GARDENING

Found this 'wartime garden' in a nearby town recreated by the parks and gardens department.

Using the soil covering an old Anderson shelter STOCK IMAGE

NO GARDEN ?

Growing indoors, numerous kits available or DIY. You could have a secret spot that is well out the way yet close enough to attend or even consider an allotment perhaps.

LINK - how to get an allotment

GENERAL GARDENING LINKS

What to do this month

Growing Your Essential Nutrients

Growing vertically

Year round grow underground greenhouse

Square foot gardening

A-Z Want to grow your own ?

DIY firepits

Build a bug hotel

Water mint

INDOOR GARDENING LINKS

Growing micro greens indoors

Windowsill gardening

Indoor survival gardening

Best indoor edible grows

Enjoy your garden, it doesn't have to be all about work.

SECURITY

Chances are your garden is within your home boundary, which makes it easier to keep an eye on being within your inner security zone. During times of severe strife and food is in short supply you can be sure of some extra unwanted pests wanting to eat your crop. Here are a few ideas if you haven't already incorporated them into your security.

Back home no not my garden

ALLOTMENT? WHILE YOU MAYBE USE TO THE ODD VANISHING VEG ON OCCASION IF FOOD IS IN SHORT SUPPLY YOU COULD FIND IT BARE

The PIR alarm activates a sounder indoors if a certain area of your garden has an intruder, some PIR security lights also offer this.

The trip wire bang, numerous online stores including Amazon. Postage can be high for the blanks as they are sent special courier.

STOCK IMAGE

I am a lover, if that's the word ha, of razor wire. Have some precut lengths that can be deployed strategically within your garden ready to use should the situation become bad enough, that is if you haven't wired your walls or fence but do be aware of the legalities.

Lighting, plenty of range to suit both solar and mains to light up the 'pests' Have plenty, solar is a quick and easy fit.

Basic trip alarms can be made by simply converting cheap home or personal alarms, you can mount sounder into a plastic housing to keep the weather out.

You could even use flares (note legality of use) or homemade firework trip alarms if your garden is some distance away.

RAIN COLLECTION

A worthwhile project is water harvesting, not only will it save you money it could prove more than valuable if the taps run dry depending on your storage amount