Plot Matters: How to Choose the Right Place for your Self Provision Garden

If you’re looking to start your own self provision garden, there are a few things you need to consider. The most important one is where you are going to site your garden. This can be a challenging question. You might not have enough land. Or maybe your ground is too poor. Or you live in a rented house and don’t want to dig up your lawn to grow veggies.

That’s what this article is all about. I’m going to give you some ideas for where you can site your Self Provision Garden and start to enjoy the multiple benefits that growing your own food can bring.

Say ‘No’ To Containers

I’ve got nothing against growing stuff in containers. I do it and I enjoy it. It’s useful to be able to more stuff around and if I run out of space in the veg patch for a few plants, I can always stick them in pots.

But (and this is a biggie) if you think you’ll reach the point of self-provision by having a few plants in pots, you’re kidding yourself. Yes you can grow a few potatoes in a bag or pot. And you might get a handful of beans or peas from those grown in a trough.

But if you’re serious about growing a significant part of your annual veg requirements, then you’re going to need a bit more space than a few pots and containers.

Use Your Own Space

The obvious choice for starting your self provision garden would be to use your own space. If you have a garden or a back yard, you already have a plot of land that you can use. Self Provision Gardening (SPG) doesn’t have to be about using every square inch of your space to grow food. Instead, select an area 1.2 metres (4ft) by 1.2 metres (12ft) as a starter for ten.

I’m a big fan of starting small and building up in increments. It’s not different when it comes to your garden. Start with a small plot, grow a few vegetables really well then expand from there. Remember, the point isn’t to grow loads of different types of vegetables and actually you can grow a good range of produce in just three 1.2 x 3.5 metre beds (I’ll cover why in an upcoming blog post).

Rent a Space for your Vegetable Garden

Have you considered renting a space to grow food? You could do this in an allotment – the waiting lists for these in urban areas are pretty long. Or you could see if there’s a local community food growing centre nearby.

The advantage with these arrangements is that you’ll get a fairly secure and extensive are to grow your food. The disadvantage is that you’ll have to travel to the site and either take tools and materials with you or find somewhere to store them on the site.

That said, allotments provide a lot of interest and opportunities to learn from others. I even knew an old allotment holder who had an illicit still rigged up in his 6 by 4 shed.

Beg, Borrow or Steal a Patch of Ground

OK, so maybe don’t steal ground – even ‘abandoned’ land is normally owned by someone who will care whether you turn it into an extension of your garden.

But you could go begging around family members, neighbours or friends for a patch of unused garden space. This practice actually has a name – but it’s probably lame and so I’ve already forgotten it. There are even non-profits set up to promote this type of land sharing. 

The easiest way is to approach someone you know, who lives nearby, and ask if you can use a bit of their ground. It would be good form to offer them some money or a share of the produce as a thank you and for compensation for you showing up at 7.30 in the morning to check the brassicas for caterpillars (just me?)

My parents live nearby and are thinking of giving up their patch – I’ll be ready to swoop in and take it on then if only to grow some space demanding crops like globe artichokes or main crop potatoes.

Go Big (Enough) or Go Home

If you’re serious about self provision gardening, then you will need a bit of space – the more the better. If you’ve got that at home, great. If not then you’ll either need to look at renting a bit of ground or an allotment. Or you could try borrowing some land from friends or family under a land share agreement.

Have you had any experiences of inventive solutions for finding a place to grow crops? Or maybe you think containers are the way forward (Get thee behind me). Then leave a comment below.

P.S. Buy my book – it’s good.