#15 - 8 Simple Ways to Grow Food In Your Backyard

Episode #15 - 8 Simple Ways To Grow Food In Your Backyard  A while back I asked a gardening community what was something they wished they knew before starting their own food garden. I had many responses including when to plant, water, fertilise, what grows well in their area and how to deal with pests and diseases. These are all pretty common questions for a new gardener and for a well-seasoned one too.  One sentiment that came up was I wish I knew about different methods. It sparked a lot of conversation and it was really interesting to see just how many of us start our journey not knowing what our options are. We research what we want to grow but not how we want to grow it.  In this episode, I want to highlight 8 simple methods that are suitable for the most backyard, or front yard gardens and that are easy enough for any gardener to learn a little about and get going. I will go through the pros and cons of each to help you understand what method or methods will be best for you.  I have personally tried all of these methods at some time over the last 20 years and have settled on a few favourites. I have however been as unbiased as I can.   Containers Container growing is so easy and super convenient especially if you're renting or have a hard surface backyard like a paved courtyard. When you think of container growing don't limit to just pots. Think about anything that you can put soil in and that either has or you can create drainage.  I've grown food in tubs, old buckets, kids paddling pools, old bathtubs, grow bags or old stockfeed bags, direct into potting mix bags and used food containers like soft drink bottles, yoghurt tubs and take away coffee cups.  You will need to choose the right size container for your plant. For instance, you won’t grow potatoes in an old yoghurt container but you can grow lettuce or herbs.    Pros Convenient - you can put them just about anywhere Cost-effective - you can find something to grow in for free around the house or pots are very cheap to buy Temporary - If you move you can take them with you Fewer weeds - Containers can get fewer weeds in them and are easy to remove if they do Easy to protect - Easy to cover up f you have issues with pests or animals eating your crops like a hungry possum   Cons You have to add your own soil - This may bump up your budget You have to improve the soil yourself - The plants will deplete the life of the soil fast in pots so you need to stay on top of adding more organic material like compost regularly You will have to feed the soil - you will have to fertilise on a regular basis Water - They require more water more regularly than any other method as they can dry out through heat very fast. When you water a plant in a container the water moves through quite fast.  The plant only has a very limited time to take as much moisture as possible after you water it. Once the water drains through the container the plant doesn’t have a water source until the next time you water. On the other hand, if you don’t have enough drainage you will drown your plants. Roots need moisture, air and nutrients. An imbalance in any of these will have your container veggies begging for attention.   Raised garden beds Raised garden beds have been around for a very long time and are a favorite of backyard gardeners around the world. There are tonnes of styles, varieties and designs of raised beds. Raised beds are a simple solution to just about any garden and you can set one up pretty easily using reclaimed materials like recycled timber, old roof sheeting, or anything that you can put together that will hold soil. Or, you can buy a raised bed system to install.    Pros All the same pros of containers plus a few more No bending - raised beds are great for people who find bending down challenging Great for urban areas - Many Urban areas are susceptible to soil contamination from heavy metals. if you don't know if your soil may be contaminated a raised garden bed is a great alternative No tilling -  with raised garden beds it's easy to add compost and soil to the top of the bed each season without the need of turning over the soil No compaction from walking in the garden -  remember I mentioned that plants need moisture, air and nutrients. Compaction from us walking back and forth on our gardens can deplete the air pockets, a raised bed can help overcome this.  Cons Again, all the same cons as containers plus a few more Cost- I know I said earlier that it can be very cheap or maybe even free to build a raised garden bed but if you want to put in a whole Garden of raised garden beds it's likely but you're going to have to outlay some money. As with containers, you're going to have to import soil to fill up those raised garden beds. Productivity -  If you have great soil and have all the elements of the 3 key ingredients right then this won’t be an issue however, getting the right balance across the growing season is tricky and this will affect the productivity of your garden.  Overcrowding - It is much easier to overcrowd a raised bed, even with best-laid plans. Often when we plant out our raised garden bed to maximize the space with plant flower seeds or seedlings close to the edge. Unfortunately, their roots don't take nutrients from the hard edge so their roots are pushed back in towards their neighbours, creating competition. You need some skills - you have to be a little handy to put them together and maintain them. They won’t last forever.  Conventional garden beds When I'm talking about a conventional garden bed, I'm talking about the old school style bed where you would dig or till a section of your garden, remove the weeds and maybe add some gypsum if on clay soil or import soil and compost if you are on sandy soil and plant into the ground. This is the standard method for most garden market and large scale farmers.     Pros No Cost - it’s pretty much free, pending any soil improvement you may need to do Access to greater nutrients - Without the restriction of walls the plants roots can go deeper and wider accessing a greater level of nutrients and moisturiser Beaks up compacted soil - tilling a garden bed can help to break up any compaction that will allow air and moisture to penetrate the soil. Cons Disturbs the soil structure - The soil is a web of life and when we turn the soil over we are turning that structure on its head. This allows dominant weeds to access sunlight and grow and causes helpful underground critters such as earthworms to go deeper in all moved undisturbed areas.  Causes crusty bits - When we till the soil we expose a greater surface area to air and sunlight while reducing moisture retainability. This causes the earth to crust over and causes water to be repelled rather than absorbed.  Can cause erosion - when we till we loosen the topsoil and when it rains or it’s windy, there is nothing to hold the soil together causing erosion.    No-dig or Lasagne method I did say at the start that I would be as unbiased as possible, I do have to say however this is one of my favourite methods. A no-dig or lasagne method is where you layer a mix of carbon-based materials and nitrogen-based materials.  Carbon material is anything like straw, woodchips, cardboard or wet newspaper, leaf litter, sawdust and rotten timber.  Nitrogen is anything such as grass clippings, weeds, worm castings, compost, vegetable scraps, animal manure, animal bedding and coffee grounds.  Often carbons are referred to as browns and nitrogen is referred to as greens, but this colour identification isn’t always accurate. As the name suggests you layer these items on top of each other starting with the bulkiest item of carbon followed by the bulkiest nitrogen layer followed by another carbon layer and so on. A good tip is to add some compost as you go to help maintain the structure and kick start the microbe process. Water each layer as you go This bed will heat up and over a few weeks, start to break down. Wait for the heat to go out of the garden bed. You can plant directly into it or put a thicker layer of compost and soil on top and plant shallow rooted veggies like leafy greens and water well.    2 big tips here is to  1-Use a garden fork to ‘open the soil’ before adding the first layer. Put the fork all the way in and tilt it back without digging up or turning over the soil.  2-Place wet newspaper or wet cardboard over the top of the finished lasagne garden. overlapping it so no daylight can get through, Then add a thick layer of mulch over the top. This will do one of two things first it will stop any weeds from germinating as they won't be able to access sunlight and secondly it will retain moisture like a boss.    Pros Retains moisture very very well - even though droughts Natural nutrients are accessible at all times - No fertilising needed Soil is alive - you will have created a living garden bed with all the great bacteria, worms and other life needed for a super healthy garden Once and done - there is a bit of work upfront but once it’s done you will have minimal maintenance No hard digging - no hard labour needed Reduction in soil compaction - You will have opened the soil and created loads of airflow along with moisture holding properties.  More natural style gardening - this mimics nature so it’s hardier and more pest and disease resistant Regeneration - This method regenerates even the hardest, compacted and crappy soil over time Best producing garden bed - this is by far the best producing method I have and still use.     Cons Not suitable for hard surfaces - You can’t use this method on concrete or pavers Need to gather all materials beforehand - you can add to it as you go but to get going you will want to have everything there ready to put on.  Takes a bit of grunt to do initially - this isn’t totally labour free. The initial building of the lasagne bed does take some effort, it’s great to get helpers involved. May need to start small - Because this method takes some time and financial investment to get all the materials in one place and put them together it may be a good idea to start small and add to your garden bed as you need.   Straw bales There are 2 straw bale methods. One is planting into the bales directly and the other is using them as the walls of the garden bed, similar to a raised garden bed. I am talking about the latter where straw bales are put together and used to create a temporary garden bed. Ideally only one bale wide and as many as you like long.  The reason you only want one bale wide is you can still access the centre of your garden bed from either side. Fill up the garden bed as you would a raised bed.  I have tried the grow in bale method a number of times and have had a little success but the fuss of it wasn’t worth it in my opinion and that’s why I am talking about the method I still use when I have access to cheap straw or cow hay bales.    Pros Moisture retention - once the bales are wet they hold moisture incredibly well and this keeps a good level of accessible moisture in the soil. They break down creating compost  - as the straw bale start to decompose they will add nutrients to the soil and create an in situ compost. You can put them just about anywhere -  you don't have to put these on soil, you can put them on a concrete or paved surface. But be mindful that this may create permanent stains so may not be suitable for renters.  Cheap - At about $5 a bale,  they are a very cost-effective raised garden bed Free mulch and compost when it's finished  - once the bales are spent and no longer has structure you can add this back into your soil in the next garden bed as compost and mulch   Cons You need to transport bales or have them delivered - they are bulky Temporary - I found that they will last about 2 seasons at most so not suitable for longer crops or perennials.  Not suitable for small spaces - again they are bulky in the garden so if you are tight on space then they may not be for you   Vertical Growing vertically is great if you're limited on space and have vacant sunny walls or fences.  you can use any of the other methods with a vertical garden buy trellising from a container, raised bed or garden bed or by installing a vertical system designed for upward growth.  Pros Space saver - you can grow more food by growing vines upward Build your own - use reclaimed or recycled materials like pipe and brackets to create your own vertical garden Buy your own - if you are lacking in the handy skills department there are many vertical garden clip together options to choose from Easy to access and maintain - no bending or digging   Cons Limited on crops - you are limited to growing food plants that fit within the growing space. Things like corn and potatoes aren’t going to be as practical as strawberries, herbs, and vines. Cost - even if you're going to build your own it's going to take some financial outlay Watering system - Growing vertically tends to zap the moisture from the soil very fast so you will want to have a watering system in place such as drip irrigation or some sort of gravity-fed watering system.   Hydroponics  I have dabbled with hydroponics on and off over the years but I haven’t ever found it to be sustainable for me and besides, I like getting my hands in the soil. I do know though that there are many backyards that find this method fail-proof and swear by it. Pros Indoors - With a hydroponic system you can grow indoors with no mess Your plants get exactly the right nutrients - the kit tells you exactly what to put in when so there is no guessing if your veggies need extra nutrients. No watering - because they are grown in water Healthy strong plants- because the plants get the right amount of nutrients spell tend to be strong and this will reduced pest and diseases   Cons  Limited crops - Like with vertical gardening your limited to the types of food plants you can grow Cost - This is the most expensive way to grow vegetables.  There are large set up costs and substantial ongoing costs to buy the right hydroponic solutions and nutrients. Skill - There is a fair amount of skill involved in setting up and maintaining a hydroponic system   Wicking Garden Bed A wicking bed is a garden bed that has a water reservoir at the bottom filled with rocks or sand and a wicking material that separates the reservoir from the top layer of soil. The reservoir is filled up from a tube at the top of the garden bed comma and an overflow is installed at the very top of the reservoir to ensure that the soil doesn’t become waterlogged. Wicking beds are great if you want to grow in containers but don’t have the time to water every day or are water conscious and don’t want to waste any. These can be as big or small as you like and can be made using buckets or even large IBC’s cut in half (the big white caged food-grade containers).    Pros No water wastage - whether you fill-up the reservoir from the fill tube or water the garden bed as normal any excess water is stored in the base and is used on demand by the plants Keeps plants watered all the time - no summer wilting or dry out stress You can add nutrients to the water - like diluted worm wee or weed tea that will give your plants an ongoing source of nutrients Less weed - like raised garden beds Great for anywhere - this is ideal for renters or those with no soil areas. Easy to maintain garden - the veggies will almost look after themselves   Cons You need materials - this will cost to set up. You need your container, reservoir medium, flexi pipe for the fill tube, poly pipe for the overflow, geotextile fabric and soil. You need knowledge - There is some research and understanding you need before setting up a wicking bed When something goes wrong it usually means starting again - Issues include piercing the reservoir, geo-tech fabric, having soil enter the reservoir or blocked pipes. I would love to hear what works for you or what you would like to try.     More information Full show notes at www.sohfarmlet.com.au/podcast Blogs - www.sohfarmlet.com.au/blog Download Free - Chicken Keepers 'Chicklist' For Beginners Download Free Guide Getting Started With Composting Newsletter sign up    This episode is sponsored by Self-Sufficiency Made Simple Composting Masterclass. This masterclass will help you go from wasting food and money to creating your own gold star garden soil system without mess, cost or hard work. The masterclass will show you how to choose, create and get started with your own simple system, all in your backyard.    Reach me Instagram http://www.instagram.com/sohfarmlet/ Facebook http://www.facebook.com/sohfarmlet [email protected]   Subscribe Have you hit the subscribe button yet? If not click subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Review I would be eternally grateful if you could give me a review as this will push the podcast out to more people, and it would make my heart sing, I'd love to hear what you have to say and what's your favourite bit (and I will be giving a few shout outs each week). For apple listeners, you can review HERE. 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