Amanda's backyard container garden

My garden started humbly with a few small herb pots from the supermarket. I always had an itch to have a proper vege garden after growing up watching my mum and grandfather in theirs.

Name: Amanda - Urban Harvester 

Location: Palmerston North

Garden size: 10m x 1m (10m2)

Follow me: @mykiwilife

 For me it’s all about balancing growing practical veges with beautiful flowers and providing a habitat for birds and pollinators.

At first, I loved gardening because I was able to grow veges that I was missing from growing up in America, and had trouble finding in New Zealand shops. Things like tomatillos, chillies or okra. However, I quickly realised just how therapeutic it was to be out in the garden, not just physically but also mentally. It also gives me a sense of accomplishment when I can grow something from a tiny seed that I can then make a meal with - it’s a truly amazing feeling!

My container garden sits on the concrete pad at the back of our flat. It’s north facing and gets great sun exposure all year. I have 58 containers in total, ranging in size from 2 litres for herbs up to 60 litres for my lime tree. Gardening while living in a rental seemed daunting at first because I couldn’t build any permanent structures or damage the property, so containers were the obvious solution. Being on a tight budget I had to start very small in my first year and only had a few containers. The key for me has been slowly adding to that whenever there is some extra room in the budget, and not getting everything
all at once. It can be quite tempting to have a full, complete garden right from the start but it’s not always realistic. Building things up slowly has also given me time to observe and understand the weather and sun patterns in my backyard so I can be more mindful with my garden additions.

Right now, I’m growing all kinds of cool season veges and flowers that can take a little frost - broccoli, cauliflower, lots of leafy greens, snap peas, carrots, onions and garlic. I also have quite a few flowers - pansies, violas, primula, snapdragons and wallflowers all in bloom. These will grow until it’s time to plant summer crops!

Amanda's top 5 small space crops

1. Leafy greens: spinach, chard, kale... they’re nutrient dense and fairly easy to grow especially in the cooler months. They can be grown in any kind of container, even a slim trough-style that takes up very little room.
2. Courgette/squash: I grow mine in 30 or 40 litre grow bags - even one plant can produce a lot of food. If you can train them to grow upwards you’ll save a ton of room as well.
3. Cucumbers: ditto! And turning excess cucumbers into pickles couldn't be easier!
4. Herbs: anything you like to cook with can probably be grown quite easily in a small pot. Thyme, rosemary, oregano, parsley and coriander all have permanent homes in my garden.
5. Citrus: most people probably have a lemon tree or know someone who does, but we can also grow other citrus here like limes, mandarins and oranges. Look for dwarf varieties, keep them fed regularly and they’ll eventually start producing a ton for you!

Head to @tuigardenandhome on Instagram to meet more Kiwi gardeners! >