New garden
Mrswalklet
Posts: 6
we have inherited a walled garden, about half an acre, which is laid to lawn at the moment. We would like to make it a productive kitchen garden, but don't have much of a clue!
it is south facing, divided into three almost equal parts by box hedging. Any thoughts welcomed!
it is south facing, divided into three almost equal parts by box hedging. Any thoughts welcomed!
0
Posts
Could you post a few pics of the space?
There is is so much you could do and grow especially being south-facing (depending on your location, climate, soil, availability of water).
First do lots of reading on kitchen gardens, walled gardens etc to get inspiration and help you formulate a plan. Visit some walled gardens near you, community growing schemes, local allotments...
Decide what you want to grow and more importantly eat.
Do you want it to be purely productive or do you want to grow a mix of fruit, vegetables, herbs, flowers etc?
Consider the benefits/drawbacks of raised beds, no dig etc., as opposed to in the ground growing.
Be realistic about what you can achieve and how much time you can allocate to it - no point creating a huge plot that you haven’t the time or energy to look after
Do a bit of digging to find out what your soil is like - unless there is lovely deep loam underneath that grass you will probably have to improve it with loads of organic matter to grow fruit and veg. Do a PH test using a cheap kit available from most garden centres and diy stores.
Spend time gaining inspiration and building up your knowledge of your plot before committing to anything.
Adjust your wishlist of what you want/can relalistically grow in your location, climate, aspect, soil etc.
Having measured the space, start sketching out a rough plan..south facing walls for espaliered fruit trees, veg beds, herbs, where to put a small greenhouse, compost heaps etc.
Have fun!
also, forgot to mention we're in the North of Scotland, so that might limit things a bit!
i think our initial ideas of just getting in there have been tempered! We might just keep on mowing the lawns in the short term, whilst we look around to see what other gardens look like! Also, there are a few fruit trees around the walls, so we'd better wait to see what they are!
sorry to sound dithery, but it's a bit daunting!
were never moving again, it's too stressful, so we have the rest of our lives for this one!
Thank you all for the encouragement!
You could post pics on a new thread of the individual fruit trees for identification, with close-ups of the leaves and find out roughly what you have got, but it might be fun to wait and be surprised...