Our garden: additional resources
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Function |
Possible systems |
Possible elements |
Privacy |
Hedge |
Existing willow hedge |
Native/edible hedge (sloes, fruit) |
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Privet (best for privacy??) |
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Fence |
Willow screen? |
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Proper fence (expensive and dull) |
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Aesthetics |
Flowers |
Perennials |
Annuals |
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Shrubs (winter colour?) |
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Structures? |
Fruit screens? |
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Food production |
Soil improvement |
Worm composting |
Manure |
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Comfrey/green manure |
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Plants |
Veg (annuals/perennials) |
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Fruit bushes |
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Salad |
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Herbs (also good for filling space
and wildlife) |
Function |
Element |
Strengths |
Weaknesses |
Opportunities |
Constraints |
Privacy |
Existing willow hedge |
-
initial investment/ cost already happened |
-
high maintenance -
can look scruffy |
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willow harvest |
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creates some shade -
uses water |
Native/edible hedge |
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contributes to food production |
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cost -
takes time to establish -
may still look scruffy -
would need to remove existing hedge |
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contributes to food production -
benefit to wildlife |
-
will create shade -
uses water |
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Fence |
-
looks tidy -
instant -
possibly deters cats |
-
cost -
need someone to install properly -
not sure how it would work around patio (main area for privacy) -
need to remove existing willow hedge |
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could grow things up it -
no water use |
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possibly more shade than willow? |
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Aesthetics |
Flowers |
-
pretty! -
looks more 'conventional' -
possible year round interest |
-
edible flowers? -
can also cut and bring into house |
-
reduce area for growing food |
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Fruit screens |
-
fruit production -
potentially pretty |
-
cost -
time to establish |
-
could grow in pots up house walls |
-
may need to remove some of existing hedge |
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Food
production |
Worm composting |
-
use up cooked food (but we produce little) -
improve soil fertility |
-
cost? -
time to establish? |
-
improve soil -
make good use of dark shady space |
-
responsibility?? |
Comfrey |
-
improve soil fertility -
easy to get hold of |
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invasive – would need to grow in pot |
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potentially reduce reliance on outside compost |
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potentially smelly – do we have space for that? |
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Green manure |
-
improve soil fertility |
-
doesn't look good? -
too small a space? |
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potentially reduce reliance on outside compost |
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temporarily reduce food growing space |
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Fruit bushes |
-
low maintenance -
edible |
-
cost -
take time to establish |
-
increase value of food production |
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Herbs |
-
low maintenance -
fill space, look nice -
edible |
-
can integrate with flowers |
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Salad |
-
grew well in 2014 -
high value crop |
-
high maintenance -
many slug losses |
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increase value of food production |
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Vegetables |
-
edible |
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high maintenance -
many slug losses -
take time to grow |
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not aesthetically pleasing with my level of skill! |
- fruit bushes attached to flowers
- fruit screens beside veg
- worm composting around green manure
- comfrey over herbs
- salad on wilow hedge
- native/edible hedge under fence
This exercise made me realise that one of the things I don't like about the willow hedge is the gaps at the bottom which, given that some of the hedge is on a one metre high retaining wall, are very visible. I am therefore now considering planting herbs or flowering bushes under the hedge to provide colour and interest from outside and to deter cats.
I did the exercise again to see if it prompted different thoughts.
- comfrey attached to veg
- fruit bushes beside herbs
- flowers around fruit screens
- fence over worm composting
- salad in willow hedge
- native/edible hedge containing green manure
This time I thought about the placement of the worm composting, which I had previously thought of as sitting on the concrete path beside the house, but which, if I moved the compost bin a little, could theoretically go next to the compost bin under the lilac. The willow hedge does not grow well here (I assume because of competition for water with the well established lilac) so we could have a short area of fence around this more functional, shady end of the garden.
I like the idea of having fruit screens, particularly with flowers growing under them, although I'm unsure o my ability to keep them alive and train them properly. I am not convinced salad would grow well under the willow hedge with too much competition for water.
I did the exercise one more time.
- native/edible hedge attached to flowers
- worm composting around fruit screens
- veg over willow hedge
- fence in herm=bs
- salad on comfrey
- green manure under fruit bushes
I think comfrey would have to be grown in pots here (if at all) as it would rapidly take over this small space, so I may be able to combine it with salad. Fruit screens around the work compost is a good idea in theory, although here I think I'd rather put my worm compost under the existing lilac as I can't use that space for anything else.
Thinking about green manure under the fruit bushes made me realise how little I know about soil fertility in general, and green manure in particular, and made me think I should find out if putting green manure under fruit bushes would be an appropriate source of nutrients for them as it would be quite easy to do.