It was 8 years ago when my then fiancee and I decided to aim towards a more self sufficient lifestyle; one where we would earn money on our own terms, reduce household expenditures, and decrease our carbon footprint. Since graduating university, I had worked full time, 9-5 for over a decade and believed there must be a better way to switch from 'work to live' to 'live to work' without it costing a fortune. Growing our own food was always part of the plans. I followed a family legacy as my Grandfather kept an allotment and my mother successfully grows nurseries and cuttings. Additionally, I wanted to reduce reliance on store-bought produce which tends to be inferior in quality, have a shorter life, have a higher ecological impact on the planet due to the miles food travels, use of pesticides, and non-recyclable packaging. We decided to use the front garden as for 16 years it never served any real purpose; the property is set approx 2-3 feet lower than the road level therefore the front boundary has a wall to secure this height difference and the ground slopes towards the house. I was inspired by the French-style Potager Garden due to its beauty and functionality and the plan was to avoid using money and get creative with reclaimed materials. Within the journey so far, my husband and I have remained self employed continuing to reduce monthly outgoings to minimum spend. We now regularly reuse/recycle/mend & make do to reduce expenses. Creating the kitchen garden has now given us a working base to grow produce in all seasons. Developing the garden was tough at first as we had to clear the grass and rampant bindweed which took a couple of years as we did it organically using cardboard and weed control fabric. During this time we calculated sun positions during the changing seasons so the crops could get maximum exposure. We used reclaimed earth and transplanted mature hardy rosemary and lavender. While developing the ‘potager’ aspect of the garden we used reclaimed bricks, rocks, and stones from my husbands building projects as decoration. It was in March of 2020 (as lockdown brought spare time) that the garden expanded and we began planting our first crops, including growing from leftovers. We successfully harvested lettuce, tomatoes, garlic, celery, parsley, sage, broccoli, and strawberries. It felt incredibly satisfying eating those first lettuce leaves and tomatoes. They were fresh, nutritious, and tasted so much better. Also, no packaging! Garlic, celery, parsley, sage, broccoli, and strawberries survived the winter. I also decided I wanted to establish 4 rotational beds for brassica, beans/legumes, roots(carrots, shallots, radish) and potatoes and try new plant varieties including more edible flowers and complimentary crops which encourage pollinating insects. The new grows started at the beginning of spring 2021 were: lettuce (seed & water regrowth), rocket, edible cornflowers, runner/broad bean and leeks. I also picked up some wild flower scatter seeds which encourage bees into some unused pots. Because last year I was overzealous seed scattering, it produced more lettuce and cress than we could consume and unfortunately, it spoiled. So I’d only seeded smaller batches in pots rather than putting them directly into the Belfast sink like the previous year. However, the weather so far in 2021 has been awful. The seedlings had been moved from the indoors to the greenhouse as the weather warmed, then unexpectedly we had frost and snow over Easter into the second week of April and only half of them survived. Even now there has been so little sun and constant rain, any hopes of quality time in the garden are slim. So attention has turned to preventative maintenance as it was quickly apparent that we would need to reduce plant pests. We researched using organic methods. Initially the most straightforward option is to grow plants that keep bugs away. Companion planting uses catnip for mosquitoes, lavender for moths, fleas, flies, mosquitoes, mint/peppermint for spiders, mosquitoes, and ants, marigolds for aphids, rosemary for fleas and tics, and basil for houseflies. I still swear by egg shells for slugs and snails. I transplanted regrown lettuce into the outdoor Belfast sink last year and slugs decided to feast on it. By scattering a layer of crushed eggshells around the plants the slugs and snails cannot crawl across them. I’ve also been drying orange peels as they are proving effective at keeping the local cats away from using any exposed soil as a litter tray. It was recommended I try neem oil as it is very effective as a general pest repellent and doesn't have any effect on edible produce. I also like the idea of using ladybirds for control of aphids. The netting and support stakes we used last year weren't effective and our produce took damage in forms of broken stems during high winds and pieces that got stuck in the netting or from stakes breaking. As our crops are still infantile at the moment we’ve no need to support them, however we have been collecting up disused wooden pallets and branches to make new support posts and vertical planters which should prevent further wind damage. Chores for the maintenance of the kitchen garden are now regularly written on our to do list. This spring we are planning to connect and position the irrigation pipes. The system is currently working in parts but as it was second hand, it’s been difficult to change some of the drippers and spurs to give more accurate watering. Also on the To Do list is to mark out final pathways and growing areas. The two boxed bed areas are forming part of the rotational areas and now have the broccoli (Brassica) in one bed and were intended for the Beans growing in the next. Unfortunately, the beans were some of the plants that didn’t survive the sudden April frost so the intention is to get some established plants for this year as a replacement. I have remarked the ‘mound’ where my beloved cat has been buried. I’ve been inspired by images of false rivers using stones or floor creeping flowers and have edged a spiral on the mound from stones reclaimed from Portugal and Oman and laid slate pieces sweeping around one side to represent a river. The plan is to purchase a solar powered water feature to install at the top to make it look as if there is a real river. In between the swirl of stones I intend to plant smaller sections of succulents for drama and aesthetics This journey has been making me feel mindful because when I’m kneeling down and touching the soil it’s grounding. Nurturing the living plants brings such calm. I feel exemplary because having a young child growing up in a quickly-changing world, it’s important to teach her how to grow little miracles. The gardening process allowed us to test time honored methods, practice routine, and share responsibility. We are excited about the future because we have been discussing how to collect rain water to reduce water consumption, we are researching into solar panels and energy reduction/using renewable resources. All of which is reducing our waste/carbon footprint as a family and setting an example for future generations.

I’ve been working on the front yard garden for a few years now. I started with peace lilies as I had them growing inside and I knew they were among some of the most resilient plants. They quickly grew and I separated and transplanted them. I started to incorporate other indoor plants and taking them outside in pots to see how they do. I added ZZ plant and now it towers above others. Fiddle leaf saw some great growth as well. Lilac spiderwort is my absolute favorite. It goes so well with the lush greenery all around. There are a few pops of pink and I hope to add more flowering plants next year.The heavy rains this year made me hesitant. I most likely will go for less delicate blooms like anthurium, crown-of-Thorns, guppy, begonias… The strength of the leaves makes a difference in withstanding strong winds that accompany thunderstorms.I will definitely keep the flowering plants in pots so they can return back inside when the weather cools. 

My husband and I live in southwestern part of the United States where it is hot and dry and keeping the plants alive has definitely been a challenge. It has taken proper soil care, irrigation infrastructure, shade and cooling to have successful harvests.We started the garden three years ago. We had a bit saved up and dove into this project with enthusiasm. We brought in soil, set up origination, and constructed a green house. Help from friends has allowed us to set everything up much faster than we could do on our own. We wanted to make sure that the plants we grew represented a diverse diet so we can make a switch from supermarket produce as fast as possible. Thus, we planted beans, peas, peppers, tomatoes, corn, pumpkins melons and squashes, lettuces and darker greens, potatoes and carrots, and garlic and onions. We planted multiple varieties of one vegetable. For instance my husband was fine with roma tomatoes while I absolutely had to have heirlooms. We knew it was going to be a challenge growing in hot, dry, and windy conditions so we started preparing accordingly. We went with a water efficient drip system which delivered water straight to the roots and budgeted for a higher water expenditure than we had as just a residential property. We constructed a spacious greenhouse with adequate ventilation. We started planting in pots to be able to move the plants between inside of the greenhouse and outside when needed. The two challenges were ran into were heat waves and strong winds. While cooling is expensive, we managed to get several fans in the greenhouse to facilitate air flow. We increased water flow and made sure all the fertilizing work was done before the bulk of the summer started so the soil retained nutrients. The greenhouse also protected our more fragile plants against the wind. We did loose several tomato wines in the process and some cantaloupe blossoms. All in all, it was a lot of work, but now that we have a system down it’s easier to manage crisis. I would say we definitely picked a more difficult place to start our journey towards self-sufficiency but we have no regrets. The produce tastes better than even the organic fruits and vegetables we used to buy and being able to step our into the garden, pick what we need, and eat it right away is amazing. The freshness is unbeatable. We are looking to utilize all this sun and set up solar panels on our house to decrease our reliance on the grid which is vulnerable to heat wave disruptions, and that’s a project we already started on.