Lewis | March 23, 2015 | 0 Comments
It used to be fact that to grow fruit and vegetables in a ‘grow your own’ manner required a reasonable amount of space. This used to take away the opportunity for many with small gardens, especially those in cities, where space is vastly limited when compared to those in rural areas. But no longer! We have written a number of blog posts recently relating to gardening in smaller spaces, but last week an article from the BBC only cemented what we’ve been telling you for a while now.
An article penned by Philip Hampsheir features Naomi Schillinger, a blogger-turned-author, who is one of a growing number of urban gardeners looking to bring back the ‘grow your own’ ethos into cities by demonstrating that even the smallest of spaces is sufficient to grow. She started a blog about her gardening and it developed such a following that she was encouraged to write a book called “All You Can Eat in Three Square Feet”. Catchy title? Yes. Innovative ideas? You bet.
It isn’t just Naomi that is capitalising on the ideal, either. More and more people are buying into the ethos; the number participating in the trend is on the rise. Between 2012 and 2013, the percentage of homegrown foods of all food eaten in the household increased from 2.7% to 3.5%. There are substantial economic benefits, too. Growing your own foodstuffs eliminates the need to buy them in supermarkets. In addition, with seeds costing between just £1 and £2, Hampsheir outlines that once tools and compost are factored into the equation, the only investment, as it were, is the gardener’s time.
Also, this doesn’t seem like an investment, either. Gardeners are gardeners simply because they enjoy the activity, first and foremost. It’s like you’re saving money for enjoying yourself! Not only this, you can do it in the comfort of your own garden, big or small. Naomi Schillinger says that even with just 10sq of gardening space, she can eat a salad all Summer long. It is even beneficial for the environment; as you’ll just be going out of your back door to fetch your veg, there is a food milage of zero, meaning less carbon emissions to get the food from the source to your plate. Health-wise it has its bonuses, too; you know the veg won’t be sprayed with a number of different chemicals, and gardening can be relaxing!
We all know that’s good for the mind and body, so what are you waiting for?! Even with the smallest of space, you can utilise a vertical gardening scheme, like one in the picture above. If you’d like to read more about this, you can view the original article by clicking here, or you can view the Oakleigh Manor blog and find more of our gardening tips.
