You Only Need One Bed

Of course, you do, but in the case of growing fruit and vegetables then less growing space (rather than sleeping space), is definitely more.  In fact having just one bed, measured and set up with compost can yield a vast amount of fresh fruit, herbs and fruit and on top of that help bring more positive wellbeing closer to home.  

COVID-19 has taught us, humans, a lot these past few months with one of the results being we’ve noticed how rushed our lives were, how we have little control over our food chain and how far away we are from nature.  And as soon as we discovered these rather grim feelings we jumped as fast as we could to make better those feelings.

I confess than even I got a big awakening and I’ve been growing veg in the garden for a number of years.  However, I’d taken it for granted.  Gardening was just something I did, an area of space I used and enjoyed.  But I never really thought about where the compost came from, or whether I could actually grow enough of just one crop to see me through a whole year.  Then, as soon as lockdown happened and during that period I no longer took it for granted.  Suddenly everything became precious, and not just for me but for the wildlife that came into the garden.  The garden became my sanctuary, my lifeline and anchor.  And I think, for those of us lucky enough to have a garden, it’s been the same for all of us.

Making the best use of a garden is down to choice but today I want to share some of the things I have learnt growing food in the garden using raised beds and containers.  Because hopefully, you’ll see that growing food in whatever space you have, creates adventure and connection with the earth which makes you feel great, get healthy and teaches you many different things.

Size is not important

I say this often – you don’t need acres to grow fantastic delicious crops.  You don’t even need a half or even a quarter of an acre.  All you really need is a metre square or enough containers to create a growing space of that size.  Because the things is we have history on our side and a lot of experience to plug into.  And all that time people have been writing up about their own growing explorations.  And it turns out there are a whole host of different solutions to enable crops to grow in small places.  

It comes down to a number of useful points:

1. Some plants can be grown vertically
2. Intercropping allows a space to have more then one crop grown in a season
3. Companion planting allows friendly crops to grow together in smaller spaces
4. New varieties of vegetables enable bigger harvest on smaller plants, while being pest resistant
5. While most vegetables are cheap to buy in the supermarket we still have to pay more for organic one meaning it’s actually cheaper to grow anything at home, and still tastes better.
6. Nobody needs to grow in lines anymore.  It wastes space
7. Pests and diseases can be actively managed better if insects and other bugs are brought into the growing equation 
8. And you’ll only achieve point 7 if you look after the soil in which the crops are grown in.

Now, if you have got space to put in a full raised bed then what size should it be?  Most average size gardens can fit in the standard bed size of 1.2m x 2.4m 4’x8’ft.  I say the standard in the sense this is what wood length is to be found at your local DIY/timber store.

The higher you can make the bed the better but if it’s going on soil or lawn (rather than concrete) then don’t worry too much, the depth will grow over time.  If you are going to build it on concrete then it needs to be a minimum depth of 30cm to ensure your crops get good root space.

One bed is all you need

A lot of people (and I count myself in this), can get overwhelmed by the idea that they need to grow all crops now, in as much space as possible.  But that’s not true.  One raised bed or a few containers are enough to keep anyone busy but not too busy that you get fed up and overloaded with too much to do before you get a chance to really build experience.  Because it’s more than just sowing and harvesting, you want to feel connected and learn about what it is that you are growing.   And you can only do that by giving just one bed your undivided attention.  I always know when I’m growing just a bit too much – I get more pests.  I forget to water or don’t keep a close check on the plants and before I know it pests/and or disease have struck and then I end up losing veggies.  

But with one bed I can grown numerous crops, tend to it carefully and watch it grow.

When deciding what to grow in a bed or containers there are a few things to think and plan out:

• What veggies/fruit would I genuinely like to eat from the bed?
• How much time have I got to spend looking after the crops per week?
• How much sun will the bed get during the day?
• Will the bed need any protection from frost and/or gusty wind?
• Can I get all around the bed or at least reach across the bed easily?

And once those areas are considered it’s time to think about the type of crops to grow:

• Do I want a mixture of crops or just one?
• Do I need to go legume, brassicas or root all on one bed?

Crop rotation suggests that enough beds (at least four) allow for all three main types of crops to be planted separately but in actual fact, a lot of veggies can be grown together quite happily.  And in the case of some planting schemes, like the three sisters growing technique, actively encouraged to mix and match in the same planting space because each plant actively helps its neighbour to grow well.

Courgettes, beans, sweetcorn, tomatoes and carrots can all be mixed about.  Care should be taken with legumes (peas etc) around alliums (onion) and alliums (onion) around brassicas (cabbage/brocolli), but apart from that most plants have two or three other crops that can grow alongside them.  

Think bigger than the bed

And finally, you don’t just have to put the bed somewhere prominent unless you want it to be the main feature.  Instead, incorporate in within the wider scheme of the garden.  And when I say “scheme”, I’m not thinking landscape but more ecosystem.  Work it into the wider world of the insects, birds and invertebrates that frequent your garden.  Reuse any soil from pots in the bed and vice versa.  Feed the veggies and your flower border with the same nutrients, top it up with leaves and fine woodchips, straw or homemade compost.  Use any outbuildings to collect water, or add a small pond.  By doing so it will help to keep pests and diseases from your food crops and make them grow stronger.  

If you do decide to have a go at growing a crop, or several this year I wish you much joy in doing so and I promise – you won’t be disappointed.

Thank you for reading.