Small Area

I have only about 20' x 60' to put in a graden in my back yard, any suggestions? I do have a sprinkler systems in place.

 

There's a book I bought on Amazon that might help you. It's called The Backyard Homestead: Produce all the food you need on just a quarter acre! It's a pretty good book, and gives recommendations for a lot of small yard configurations. My biggest gripe with it is that it doesn't really focus on southern climates much. I'm in Florida, but the book doesn't mention citrus, bananas, pineapple, or any of the tropical or sub-tropical crops. Still, it's an interesting and helpful book.



Amazon.com: The Backyard Homestead: Produce all the food you need on just a quarter acre! (9781603421386): Carleen Madigan: Books

 

Thank you so much!!

 

Take as much as you can vertical, and look for varieties that have smaller versions that can hang (sugar pumpkin vs jack-o-lantern type). For heavier stuff, see if you can score some stock panels from the nearest farm supply. They're strong enough to support things like melons, pumpkins, and the heavier types of squash. Sugar pumpkins and many of the climber squash have strong enough stems to support them hanging. For more delicate vines like melons, my grandmother used to use old busted bras to support them on the rails. Kinda gives a new twist to "check out her melons!" doesn't it...

I wish I'd gotten pics... a few years ago one of my spaghetti squash got a hold of a low hanging branch on an apricot tree and ran crazy through it. I had massive spaghetti squash hanging from the branches.

 

Well there in lies the issue, I am a memeber of a HOA, the by laws state no gardens.

 

Is your yard fenced or open community?

 

I thought the HOA in Expendable Acres was bad! What about Earthboxes or some other type of container garden on your patio? It wouldn't give you enough produce to be self sufficient, but it would help you hone your gardening skills until the S hits the F, and once that happens I would tell your HOA to pound sand.

 

If they won't let you have a garden at all. Erm, It's time to move.

Food = Freedom.

If they won't 'Allow' you your God given right to grow your own food, you are not free. Welcome to AmeriKa HOA style.

Just Sayin'

 

Buy garbage cans fill with soil and you can grow the best potatoes and tomatoes.

 

We are wanting to leave but as we all know its a bad time to try and sell right now. i never thought of the box idea.

 

Try square foot gardening

Square Foot Gardening, vegetable gardening, raised bed, organic

Lots of good stuff on very small spaces.

Shame you cannot put up a fence. but with some HOAs, some officious bastard will come look over your fence to see if you are "breaking the rules." Talk about a bag of wasted O2....


When we purchased our palatial spread (Belly Acres) deed restrictions were the first thing we checked.

Anyway, box gardens are better than no gardens, esp for peppers,, herbs and so on.

 

Buy,or build a strawberry tower.
Plant edible ornamentals(cabbage,peppers,cherry/grape tomato's,coliflower,broccoli,citrus,ect.).HIDE THEM IN PLAIN SIGHT,MIXED WITH THE NORMAL LANDSCAPING.Alot of edibles look really pretty mixed in with the flowers.You can even call it an"Urban Guerilla"garden.
Rember with a HOA,the biggest complainers are usually the worst violators in one way,or another.They bitch about others supposed violations,to divert attention from their own.
Matt

 

Oh,and another thing!!A good sized handfull of seeds obtained from a stoner can come in mighty handy.
Just toss them in the HOAholes bushes,and wait a couple of months.
Then an OPSEC pay phone call can be made to report the HOAholes"GARDEN"to the propper authorities.
I'm not sayin,I'm jus sayin.
Matt

 

You could get creative I guess.....

You could get creative I guess....the HOA may rule the roost when it comes to the common property....but what you do in the privacy of your own garage is your own business...an organic mixed media art installation using grow lights and hydroponic irrigation ought not cause any drama unless it features elements that might cause a sniffer dog to get overly excitable.

 

can you do a hydro garden inside? we grew a hydro garden in our house one winter. my normal friends who come over used to joke i would be the only man in kentucky to get raided for the legal use of hydro gardening!!!

 

Do you have flower beds or ornamental areas of your yard? Convert them to a edible ornamentals. Get creative on container/patio gardening. If you have any fencing you can get dwraf/container sized plants and hang them from the fencing as "decoration"

If you can't move, work to get the HOA rules changed.

 

I live in an 1100 sq foot apartment with a 6x12 foot balcony. I am only allowed to have potted plants which would not work, in terms of growing space. I was introduced to the Tower Garden. I now have two of them and am able to produce enough veggies for my wife dog and I year round. I did the math on this past year and figured out with the electrical, nutrients, misc., & initial cost I will have both payed back after my second harvest this year. Check them out, might be a viable solution for you. Grow Vegetables, Fruits & Herbs | Aeroponic Tower Garden Vertical Garden

Also if you have any questions. I'm 7 harvests in and feel like I have it pretty dialed in.

 

A good early post by a new SM member...welcome to SM.

In a restricted growing space, vertical gardening is a good option. There are many ways of using vertical growing surfaces...the following link offers a great variety of interesting ideas....

vertical gardening - Google Search

 

i have a really good picture of one of these tower gardens i seen in the WV ladys facebook thingy but i dont know how to putt it on here ...

its made of a 55gallon drum ...

 

Glad you like the TG production, are you a distributor? I've thought about getting one, but I still prefer going and actually digging in the dirt, call me old fashioned. On the plus side if I got one, I can get them really cheap, since I work at NSA (not the alphabet soup guberment, but the makers of Juice Plus+)