How much growing space do you have?

[bubblewrap]

In garden just a small strip rest gravel & slabs ( garden small anyway)
Lottie 300 Sq +

[Finedon.Dandy]

one bed is 7' x 10'
one bed is 10' x 11'
one bed is 10' x 11' with another leg of 8' x 8'

Would love to know the sq meterage of this - can anyone work it out for me please?

[kentvegplot]

Erm, well, all raised beds for me. 33 sq m in all, plus a polytunnel 16 feet x 8.

I can't grow carrots so buy those, and the potatoes from last year are about to run out. (So I've had 8 months or more of my own potatoes, not bad).

If I had more space, I'd grow more maincrop potatoes, some more beans to freeze (plenty of dried to see me through) and I'd grow some of those things that take up space for ever, such as brussels and celeriac. Also more leeks to take me through from now to the new season veggies.

[HotStuff]

one bed is 7' x 10'
one bed is 10' x 11'
one bed is 10' x 11' with another leg of 8' x 8'

Would love to know the sq meterage of this - can anyone work it out for me please?

FD, it's roughly 11 square foot to 1 square metre, so

7x10 = 70 sq ft = 6.5 sq metre
10x11 = 110 sq ft = 10 sq metre
8x8 = 64 sq ft = 6 sq metre

So if I understand what you said you have 6.5 + 10 + 10 + 6 = 32.5 sq metre (approx).

[lumpyjumper]

My half plot is 40 sq m. Which sounds rather small but then I suppose it is only a half plot. It's manageable which is the main thing.

[janeyo]

Thanks all. I am trying to work out what to put in nan's garden (about 1000 square feet) so that we buy less of the things we eat most of.

There are 4 of us, but 2 are children and one is finicky! He will eat the veg but takes him an hour and a half sometimes, even if he's picked it himself

Even fruit and veg off the local market is going up in price so if I cold eat my own spuds for 8 months like someone said that would be brill. I don't think I will need to buy any onions next season as long as they all grow, as have worked out how many I need.

I guess it is just brassicas that may be tricky!

And maybe some things I haven't tried before, such as artichokes?!

[Nicos]

One full allotment - and about 1/3 lottie size so far over here- and there are 2 of us- plus friends and relatives .

I try to eat seasonally but grew up enjoying recipes using peppers, avacado, bananas,peaches,sweet potato,mushrooms..stuff which is seasonal or grown in hotter climates- so I could never be self sufficient without denying myself some of my more favorite ingredients
( Interestingly - last April I decided to treat my visitors to a strawberry tart and couldn't find one in the shops- and only 2 punnets in the huge hypermarket( not sold out- just not stocking them)- when we went back to the UK M&S had hundreds of punnets for sale. What I'm saying is that over here the shops seem to stock more seasonally too compared to the UK.

Don't honestly want to be completely self -sufficient...I ned more variety and to satisfy my inbuilt 'addictions' for more unusual fruit and veg.

[Hilary B]

one bed is 7' x 10'
one bed is 10' x 11'
one bed is 10' x 11' with another leg of 8' x 8'

Would love to know the sq meterage of this - can anyone work it out for me please?

A little under 35 sq m
354 sq ft, and a sqm is 10.764 sq ft, but I cheat, call it 10 and then subtract a bit<g>

OK done it by calculator, comes to 32.9.....

[Hilary B]

Approximately no growing space!
Front garden is open to every passing dog (much to the annoyance of our own) and the back garden is tiny, got too many shrubs in, and steep. Have been growing toms in gro-bags (started indoors from seed) but since we got blight last 2 years, I am taking a break from toms, and this year will be runner beans (in grow bags)

[Finedon.Dandy]

FD, it's roughly 11 square foot to 1 square metre, so

7x10 = 70 sq ft = 6.5 sq metre
10x11 = 110 sq ft = 10 sq metre
8x8 = 64 sq ft = 6 sq metre

So if I understand what you said you have 6.5 + 10 + 10 + 6 = 32.5 sq metre (approx).

A little under 35 sq m
354 sq ft, and a sqm is 10.764 sq ft, but I cheat, call it 10 and then subtract a bit<g>

OK done it by calculator, comes to 32.9.....

So not much then - I must really be cramming it in then! Thanks for that - I had always wondered. Might be worth removing that bush we have thats shades our plot for some of the day - thats 3 sq M!!!

[Finedon.Dandy]

Approximately no growing space!
Front garden is open to every passing dog (much to the annoyance of our own) and the back garden is tiny, got too many shrubs in, and steep. Have been growing toms in gro-bags (started indoors from seed) but since we got blight last 2 years, I am taking a break from toms, and this year will be runner beans (in grow bags)

Dont runners prefer more depth? What about large bags of compost - thats what I used as gro bags till I got big tubs. Or used car tyres - thats what some of our spuds will be in this year.

[slooky]

have got about 30ft wide by about 100 ft long gave away about 30ft couple of years ago as not managing very well, bit better last year and we will see what the better weather brings

[HotStuff]

Dont runners prefer more depth? What about large bags of compost - thats what I used as gro bags till I got big tubs. Or used car tyres - thats what some of our spuds will be in this year.

I'm also planning to have a go at runners for the first time this year. Can't remember where I saw it, but what I'm planning to do is cut the bottoms off some cheap pots (Morrisons - 99p for 8) and sink those in the grow bags to give them a bit more depth.

[LizyDrippin]

I have 17.28 square metre split between three raised beds. and I grow stuff in pots on the paths inbetween the beds. I have loads of pots it's an onsticle course getting in to weed and harvest

I also have huge piece of grass which is a drying green but is shared with neighbour so I can't touch it (makes me weep every time the grass is cut - what a waste)

I grow mainly summer crops so from about june to september I don't have to buy much apart from potatoes (takes up too much room to grow myself) then a few over wintering things like leeks and swede

I would love an allotment, I would be able to grow enough stuff to store then I could cut down the winter veg bill

and I have a very smallish patio area that has three small mini greenhouses for tomatoes and peppers and pots and pots of strawberries, it's so bad that I can't get my wheelie bin past in the summer

[Hilary B]

I have 17.28 square metre split between three raised beds. and I grow stuff in pots on the paths inbetween the beds. I have loads of pots it's an onsticle course getting in to weed and harvest

I also have huge piece of grass which is a drying green but is shared with neighbour so I can't touch it (makes me weep every time the grass is cut - what a waste)

I grow mainly summer crops so from about june to september I don't have to buy much apart from potatoes (takes up too much room to grow myself) then a few over wintering things like leeks and swede

I would love an allotment, I would be able to grow enough stuff to store then I could cut down the winter veg bill

and I have a very smallish patio area that has three small mini greenhouses for tomatoes and peppers and pots and pots of strawberries, it's so bad that I can't get my wheelie bin past in the summer

Can you at least 'acquire' the cut grass from the drying green for mulching purposes? With a bit of low cunning it is possible to grow a lot more 'veg per square yard' than the conventional version. Intercropping is part of it.
The only place I can grow much is against the house wall, and grow-bags are really the only option. Fortunately that is South facing, but also uphill (yes, we are on a North-facing slope!). From time to time we cut back the biggest shrubs so we get sunlight in there. Holidays in Spring and Autumn don't help with growing things either.....