Small space high yield gardening

Just because you may not have a lot of space for growing your crops, that doesn't necessarily mean you have to put up with low yields. Becky Searle explains

- Becky Searle

When I moved to my old house it was such a thrill. A vegetable patch, at last! 120 square metres, just less than half of an allotment, and it was all mine. I had a young family at the time; a baby and a four-yearold, plus a house to renovate, oh, and a business to run. But I was determined to use this space to its absolute maximum. I wanted to be self-sufficient, with images of Barbara and Tom from the good life, mud on their faces but happy.

The garden itself was a rare find: there were a few mature fruit trees, a patch of raspberries and redcurrants, a lovely big wooden greenhouse, a few plastic raised beds and a fully functioning а compost system. Most gardeners' idea of a dream come true!

I poured all my spare time into creating a design for the vegetable patch that was practical and productive, but what I discovered was that from a small space, I would get a lot more produce than I had ever dreamed possible. In fact, I produced around 80-90% of my family's fresh produce from my tiny patch. It was 100% organic, fresh and zero food miles. This surpassed what I had ever dreamed of. For me the absolute priority was diversity and nutrients. I wanted my little family to have as many nutrients in their diet as possible.

HEALTHY SOIL