I took a leap of faith a few years ago and bought a block of land on a community farm to build a fully off-grid tiny house & natural swimming pool with the aim of becoming more self-sufficient.
Last year was the first full year of my gardening efforts and I put in two more raised garden beds late last year after discovering the true joy of harvesting food from my own garden.
I’m on a journey with composting and by no means an expert (!) but I’m at a really exciting point because I recently harvested my very first summer crop that’s been fully grown using the compost from my Subpod.
It has honestly been one of the most satisfying parts of being more self-sufficient: to eat food grown directly from my own kitchen scraps and to start that cycle again. To turn waste into compost that I use to grow my food from and to witness the process full circle brings me goosebumps!
So as the season is beginning to shift into Autumn, here’s my tips to getting started:
SOIL QUALITY IS SO IMPORTANT!
Before you plant anything, getting the soil ready is the trick. I started by clearing my garden bed soil of any debris, weeds, or rocks (making sure that my summer veggies were properly weeded). Then came one of my favourite parts of emptying my nutrient rich compost from my Subpod into the garden beds. You can use your garden fork to turn the compost into the soil which helps improve soil structure, water retention, and nutrient content. I also add some cow/horse/chicken manure into the mix for some added nutrients. I’ve left it for a couple of weeks now and keep turning it every weekend. If you haven’t yet started your kitchen compost, everything you need is included in our Limited Edition Starter Set.
WHAT TO PLANT
Depending on which climate zone you’re in, there will be different plants that will work in Autumn depending on average temperatures, rainfall etc. I’ve found the Organic Gardener has a great Planting Guide by zone. ABC Gardening have a handy guide about Crop Rotation which is interesting to note! I also always love a chat with my local nursery about what works best for local micro-climates and get their tips!
WHEN TO PLANT
Every year and every season change is different. When to plant will depend on watching your garden closely for signs of season change. There’s quite often seasonal variations to consider - it’s a hotter than usual February where I live for example this year so it looks like the cooler temperatures might come a little later than last year.
MULCH MULCH MULCH
Once you’ve planted, I am always conscious to add a layer of mulch (and keep adding it throughout the entire season). It keeps water in the soil (and stops it evaporating), stops weeds from growing as quickly and helps keep the temperature in the soil consistent which is pretty cool. I always use organic mulch as it improves the nutrients as it breaks down.
WATER WISELY
How much to water? This one again depends on the weather (the hotter it is, the more you need to water), which climate zone you’re in and what you’ve planted! My tip is to keep a really close eye on your plants as they’ll tell you when they’re thirsty. My general rule is water every few days at least up here why I live (and more often in Summer).
I’m waiting for the soil to settle and the weather to cool down a bit before planting my next crop but I’ll be updating progress on socials if you want to follow along!
Best of luck with planting
Love Sophie xx
