My interpretation of the ultimate kitchen garden design that optimizes space and maximizes food production. This design can be customized and utilized in different spaces, particularly where it is essential to achieve the highest level of productivity using limited area. The plan I offer focuses specifically on an enclosed garden setting.
Throughout the course of four decades of maintaining a fruitful garden, the primary factor impeding my harvest has undeniably been birds. They disrupt the growth process by disturbing seeds, consuming young plants, fruits, and sometimes even mindlessly wreaking havoc on the entire plant (with sulfur-crested cockatoos being particularly notorious for this behavior).
In various environments, kangaroos, deer, wombats, possums, and flying foxes are likely to pose a problem.
For a long time, I faced difficulties with using nets and tried various types of support systems (for more details, refer to my blog article). However, after many experiments, I ultimately decided to opt for a welded metal enclosure that is not removable. You can find more information about my experience with this choice by reading about the process in this article.
I am still amazed by how effortless it is to work inside an enclosure and the level of security it provides for my plants, resulting in abundant harvests.
Had I known from the beginning that I would need to have an enclosure in order to achieve a successful harvest in my present productive garden, this is how I would have strategized it.
The concept aims to minimize the garden’s size in order to decrease the expense of building a fence, while still allowing enough room for desired plant growth.
For individuals who have limited space and desire to cultivate their own food, this layout is an ideal choice.
This enclosure, which is shown in the diagram below, has dimensions of 20 x 15 meters.
Based on my family’s preferences and the cool climate I am gardening in, this is what I would choose to grow. However, feel free to modify this plan according to your own climate, desired amount of food, and food preferences.
This system will enable you to grow and harvest fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the year. While additional support may be required in the colder months, during the warmer seasons of summer and autumn, you’ll be able to fulfill the fruit and vegetable requirements for a household consisting of 4-5 individuals.
I have included this feature in the system because building a chicken run is comparable to constructing a vegetable garden or orchard enclosure, and it is practical to have them near your productive garden. However, I advise against allowing your chickens to roam freely in your productive area because they have a tendency to disturb seedlings, scatter mulch, and dig under the roots of trees for dust baths. Chickens can cause significant damage in a garden.
In this plan, there is enough room to have four garden beds that measure 1.5m x 8m each. These beds can be either at ground level or elevated, depending on your preference. Personally, as I age, I find the idea of working on raised beds more attractive than working at ground level. It is important to consider the future and make suitable plans accordingly.
The width of 1.5 allows for convenient access to the center of the bed from both sides, ensuring that the garden is not stepped on and preventing soil compaction and harm to plants.
These yearly garden plots serve as the core of my food production setup, providing ample room for cultivating all the necessary annual vegetables to sustain my family. Through the method of succession planting, I am able to continuously harvest vegetables throughout the entire year.
A dedicated bed for perennial vegetables and herbs will include all the perennial vegetables that I enjoy growing, along with any non-invasive herbs. It is advisable to plant perennial vegetables and herbs separately from annual vegetables to avoid disrupting their roots through regular cultivation or the planting of annual plants.
What I would add to the garden are two rhubarb plants, ten asparagus plants, three globe artichokes, two sorrel plants, one rosemary plant, three thyme plants, one sage plant, and three chive plants. Additionally, strawberries can be grown in the front of these beds, although I find that I get better harvests from my hanging baskets.
I have chosen different types of fruit trees that thrive in my local weather and are also fruits that I enjoy eating and preserving. The bigger trees and climbing plants are positioned on the southern side of the space to ensure they don’t cast shadows on the annual garden beds.
There are 10 hanging baskets filled with strawberries. The purpose of this is to make use of empty space, improve air circulation around the plants to prevent fungal infections, and protect the fruit from bugs that reside in the soil.
I want to get one finger lime plant so that I can transfer it to the glasshouse during the winter season.
I would like to have one Tahitian lime tree that I can transfer to the glasshouse during the winter season.
I want to purchase one Kaffir lime plant so that I can transfer it to the greenhouse during the winter season.
I have one bay tree, and since bay plants have a tendency to send up new shoots and become a dense thicket, I can potentially manage its growth by keeping it in a container.
I enjoy cultivating highly thriving varieties of herbs like mint, peppermint, lemon balm, oregano, and marjoram in containers. Without containment, these herbs have a tendency to rapidly dominate a garden plot. To prevent this, I would position these herbs in pots located beneath different trees kept in containers.
There are two choices for structures on the southern part of the enclosure: a pergola or a glass house/garden shed. In my perfect garden, I have designated an area for a greenhouse/ garden shed/ space for planting seeds and growing plants. During the winter, I transfer my plants that are sensitive to frost into the glasshouse.
One possible option for utilizing this space is to install a pergola, which can be used to support climbing plants like passionfruit, grapes, or Kiwi fruit. Alternatively, it could also accommodate additional garden beds.
Maintenance is necessary for all climbing plants. They exhibit a strong growth and must be regularly pruned to prevent their overgrowth. Their rapid spread can pose a threat to structures and other plants, hence they are not among my preferred fruit-bearing plants.
Passionfruit cannot thrive in my garden due to their vulnerability to frost, and they are also too robust to be grown in a pot. As a result, they have been excluded from this system.
I have experimented with kiwi fruit and discovered that they grow very vigorously. It is necessary to have both a male and a female plant in order to ensure pollination. However, I found that these plants grew so rapidly that they eventually overtook and ruined my initial chicken enclosure. When they produced fruit, we were picking large amounts of kiwi every day, and after the first 50 or so, we became quite tired of them. It was an easy choice for me to remove them from my garden. Nevertheless, this doesn’t imply that they wouldn’t be successful in your own setup.
Grapevines can be quite strong and robust. I grew one over a chicken enclosure, and its tendrils intertwined with the mesh, making it challenging to trim the stems, especially on the roof. I had to use a tall ladder for this task, but I am not comfortable working at heights. Pruning the grapes is necessary to ensure a good harvest, so leaving them untrimmed was not an option. While grapevines can be grown on a standalone trellis system, like those seen in vineyards, I did not have enough space in my garden for that. Additionally, living in an area where it rains a lot in February, when the grapes ripen, we had constant issues with mildew. However, in the right climate, grapes could still be grown successfully.
Incorporating a garden shed and compost bins into the enclosure or placing them outside with convenient access to the garden can enhance the effectiveness of the enclosure in safeguarding productive plants. By placing these items outside, the space available for cultivating plants that require protection will be optimized.
You can customize this system to suit the available space and types of food plants you prefer. It is designed to maximize production while taking up minimal space, making it perfect for backyard settings or situations where you want to safeguard your plants from the numerous birds and animals in your locality that are always looking for food.
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