As the economy changes and utility bills increase, most people, especially families and small businesses, are feeling the pinch (a great Aussie expression!) While many people will complain of rising food, fuel and living costs, many will adapt by starting a home garden and growing their own food. Even without a garden, everyone can grow something in a pot, a box, an old bathtub, on a window sill and in many other creative spaces. It’s easier than you think and it’s much healthier for you, your family, your wallet and your planet.

My passion and business is all about sustainability and helping people save money and the Earth by growing your own food, which could include having a couple of chooks for eggs in your backyard. I live in Brisbane, where most land blocks and backyards are big compared to other cities in Australia, and I am astounded why more homes don’t have vegie patches and chooks. It takes a lot of pressure off shopping bills, is great for kids to be involved in and is good for the planet.

Now you might be thinking, ‘But I don’t have any space or a yard for a garden.’

 Well, there’s a lot of easy ideas to grow your own food in small spaces, and in fact, that’s what permaculture is all about – maximizing what you can produce in the space you have. Many people grow more than enough food to feed themselves and their neighbours just in balcony pots and planter boxes. Increasingly, we’re seeing more and more community and guerilla gardens popping up in cities around Australia, where the public can grow and pick their own vegies, fruit and herbs on footpath and street median strips, public gardens and even around bus and train stations.

To see the power of such a guerilla garden, read the article posted previously about a community garden that saved a small town in the UK, called Vegies Save a Town.

Bunnings, garden centres and nurseries will all be able to set you up with the right pots and planters, soil, seeds, seedlings and other garden needs to get you started. There really is no excuse not to grow something, however small a space, in your home or workplace. Many businesses are also now growing their own herbs and vegies in small spaces, for use is their cafés and restaurants.

Some important tips I highly recommend, if you are considering growing your own food, include:

• Make sure you use as much organic material as possible, including soil, seeds and seedlings.
• Try to maximize what you can produce in your given space, such as planting a few varieties of herbs in the one pot.
• Grow what you’ll eat the most, and what grows well in your area or climate. Leafy greens and herbs grow fast, can be picked daily without killing the plant and are easy to care for, feed and water.
• Grow fun stuff that you and your family can enjoy regularly, such as culinary herbs, leafy greens and easy-grow vegies like capsicum, chillies, eggplants, beans, peas and even dwarf varieties of citrus fruit and berries.
• If you do have a larger space, make sure you compost all your kitchen scraps, lawn and garden clippings and other organic matter to put back into your soil and garden beds.

It’s much easier than you thought to learn about composting, small permaculture gardens and growing your own in small spaces. Come on … start today! Decide on at least one pot or space and plant something you can enjoy eating in a few weeks. In Queensland, we’re very lucky to be able to grow most things year round without too much trouble, and certainly our seasons are warm enough to stretch out a good growing period for most home use vegies, fruit and herbs. Enjoy!