One of the things we promised we’d do this year is use our space wisely, taking particular care not to over-crowd or cram our tiny growing space with more than is necessary. Our planting plan will take this into account, as well as our master plan which has been carefully put together to ensure that everything is just to the right size, in just the right place and does not over-shadow, block access, or dominate the garden in any way.
It is for this reason that we chose not to buy a greenhouse this year. Instead we purchased a lean-to plant house that is small enough to snuggle nicely against the sunny wall where the workshop stood. Its base measures just 100 cm x 45 cm, but the shelf space it provides (approximately 1.80 square metres) should be enough for the crops we will grow from seed.
Our only disappointment is that it arrived in a box containing hundreds of separate pieces, which took two days to assemble from scratch. If it wasn’t the perfect size for the space we have available then we definitely would have sent it back. However, we finally managed to put it together and it is currently being housed in the garage whilst we complete the base on which it will stand.
Most people ask what we’ll do with our tomatoes. But the answer is simple – we’ll just grow them outside against a sunny wall like last year. After all, our main aim is to grow green tomatoes for our chutney recipes, so an outdoor crop suits us much better. However, the lean-to green house will mean that we no longer have to line every windowsill with seed trays. Things will be much more organised this year – we hope.
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