- In this video I'm gonna show you
three simple methods that I'm using this year
which are greatly boosting the productivity
of this growing space.
One of the things that we're always looking to do
in our growing spaces is get more harvest from them.
I'm just harvesting some carrots here
that are interplanted, actually, with onions.
And I think that three areas
will offer quick wins for gardeners
in terms of boosting the yields that we get:
better use of container growing,
being clever with vertical planting and vertical structures,
and also utilizing the principle
or the mindset of just plant something.
Let's start with containers and how the use of containers
can effectively double productivity
within certain areas of your garden.
Now, I've just harvested some spuds in containers.
So why am I growing them in containers
rather than growing them all in raised beds?
These are big boys.
You see, when you have a limited growing space,
you really want to prioritize your raised beds
for those high value crops.
For example, these tomatoes here.
The potatoes are pretty low value,
and they're also quite bulky
so they can take up a lot of space,
which is why growing them in containers
makes a lot of sense.
The other great thing
about growing bulky plants in containers
is that you can move them around the garden.
So you might have specific areas in your garden,
such as against this trellis here,
where you may not be able to fit a raised bed,
but you can easily start storing
some containers of produce under there.
And the thing about raised beds
is you can't really move them.
So instead of growing potatoes on raised beds,
this is where I'd have maybe about 24 potato plants
in this 10 by 4-foot raised bed.
If instead I grow them in containers,
which are actually usually deeper than raised beds,
I could plant a couple of seed potatoes in each one,
have 12 of these, maybe 16 containers
dotted around the different little corners of the garden.
And what I'm basically doing is I'm creating
an extra raised bed worth of space around the garden,
which means instead of having potatoes in here,
I've opened up this whole space and I've doubled production
because these bulky plants are growing
in and around all the other little gaps.
And I'll show you another great example using squash.
So this bed behind me is our squash bed.
I think we all know just how much space squash can occupy.
So instead of growing the squash in raised beds,
instead look at growing them in containers,
such as these ones at the side of these IBCs
to free up that valuable growing space.
Another fantastic place to put your squash plants
to free up raised bed space
is actually an any compost bin
that has been recently filled up
or is currently breaking down,
put in your squash plants.
Now we have got a pumpkin that we're training
over this archway as well, so feel free to get creative.
So why not next growing season,
you focus on growing your squash
in your compost bins and in containers,
and just think about what you can grow
with all of that extra space
that suddenly appeared in your garden?
The next area to explore for quick wins that we can get
in terms of boosting the productivity of our garden
is doing vertical structures
in a way that doesn't take up too much raised bed space.
But before I do that, I want to plant a little idea
that you can utilize in your garden as well.
So tell me what is every gardener's dream?
To me, I honestly think it's having a walled garden,
and of course not many of us do.
So the second best option is creating
a walled garden on a budget using trellis.
The great thing about trellises is they really add
to the visual aesthetic of a garden.
I love walking through this archway.
You've got silvanberries sweeping in this way.
We've got thornless blackberries coming over the top.
But there is one benefit that I think is more important
than being able to grow these berries,
and it's actually how trellises improve the micro-climates
within the boundaries of the garden.
Not only does a trellis act
as a fantastic sun trap for the garden
so you can create really nice sunny corners,
it also acts as a living wind barrier,
which is definitely gonna benefit
a lot of the plants within this space.
So this autumn and winter, really think to yourself,
where can I put some trellising?
Even if it is just against a wall.
As you can see, I've got a lot of space here
that I want to fill up with more trellises.
And not only are they perfect
for growing some of your perennial crops,
they're also great place to grow
your runner beans and peas up,
so you can then in turn open up even more space in your beds
and increase productivity.
One thing I do love to do in this garden
is to utilize wigwams and vertical structures.
I think they really contribute to the aesthetic
and they also create micro-climates within themselves.
On this side, I've got the sunny side,
which means I can grow sun-loving crops,
almost like they were in trellis.
But on this side, it's a lot darker,
which means I can grow more shade-loving crops like herbs.
Now, one issue with wigwams in small spaces
is that they do take up some bed area.
So this whole bottom corner here,
roughly a square meter or so of growing space, is taken up.
Now I'm not complaining because it's like a skyscraper.
You've got still things up above
making use of that ground layer.
But one way that we can make our area more productive
is instead of looking at a wigwam taking up a space,
almost do a inverted wigwam,
where instead of it starting at the edge of a bed
and going in,
start at the edge of the bed and go out.
This archway here is a perfect demonstration of that.
This archway is actually an idea that my colleague Sam got,
I believe off Pinterest,
and we thought we'd give it a try this year
to see how it goes because that's what gardening is.
It's about experimenting and testing things,
and it has worked so well by utilizing
this underused vertical space above this pathway
to free up space in this garden.
The next year, I think we're gonna do
a load of these instead of wigwams
for all of our main climbers
and also experiment with doing an A-frame.
So running one of these all the way down the length
between two beds as a really fun kind of tunnel.
And I think it's gonna look stunning.
And of course you have the benefit
of creating a structure like this over a path,
is that everything is so easy to harvest.
Now, I love creating a detailed planting plan of the garden.
In fact, I've created a whole online course
called The Productive Planting Plan
to show you how to make the most
of succession planting to increase yields.
But no matter how much detail we put into our planting plan,
we're always going to get gaps and opportunities
for growing extra plants emerging in and around the garden.
In the corner of this bed here lived, perhaps,
one of the centerpieces of this growing season.
It was that stunning foxglove.
And as soon as that went out,
I plugged the gap by putting in three kale plants.
For the spontaneous side of gardening,
the no rules gap plugging is a wonderful method
that is so easy to do and it brings amazing results.
One of the biggest principles of soil health in the garden
is for as long as possible
to have living roots in the ground.
For example, this area here is covered
by dwarf French beans,
but there's actually a little space here
that was totally unintentional
and it's empty and it needs to have roots in.
So what I'm doing is I'm gonna be transplanting
this little plug plant of Swiss chard to put in and grow.
And the idea with this
is that it will put those roots down into the soil,
help maintain good soil life.
And as a result,
I'm also gonna be able to get a harvest from this as well.
Now, one tip is you want a default crop in August
to use to plug gaps.
My go-to choice are leeks.
They grow so well in this climate.
And the great thing about them
is that they can stand all through winter,
but they'll be gone by kind of March and April.
So next year, think to yourself,
what is that one default crop
that I can transplant in August that you enjoy eating,
so you can not only get roots in the ground,
but you get more harvest?
Because gaps are inevitably going to appear
and you wanna make sure you have something
up your sleeve, ready to fill it.
A top tip whenever you're transplanting or planting out
something like these leeks here
is to plant them on a diagonal offset
instead of in straight rows and blocks.
And there's an illustration on the screen right now
to demonstrate how you can fit in so much more food,
because the rows don't need to be as far apart.
Now, why am I holding a bunch of garlic?
Well, it's to remind you two things.
Firstly, make sure you have some open space in October
so you can plant your garlic cloves
for your plants to harvest next year.
And also if you haven't yet,
make sure you do start ordering those cloves
because sometimes they can sell out.
If you're looking to get more harvest
from your vegetable garden,
then definitely watch this video here.
It's 10 top tips to maximize
the productivity of small spaces
and it's jam packed with ideas that you can use.
And I really hope you find it useful.