I've been wanting to start a blog for my vegetable gardening interests, but didn't know what I wanted to write about. Then last night as I was out in the yard, wishing I had more space for my crops, it hit me! I'll blog about what it's like to have a small garden. A very small garden.
I have three 4'X4' raised beds. They're all in less-than-ideal spots. During the spring and summer, they get shade all morning from the house and the trees. They only get sun from noon on. During the fall and winter, they get more morning light, especially once the leaves have started falling, but daylight hours grow shorter and shorter. One of the beds is on a concrete patio, next to a south-facing wall. In other words, it gets HOT.
I also have a few strips of land at the edges of the patio. Sunlight is moderate there, but they get all the rain run-off, which can make things soggy. Altogether, I have about seventy square feet of soil to work with, not counting the few containers I maintain.
I started my garden three years ago with just the one 4'X4' bed on the patio. Every season since then, it's grown a little more, but I think I'm about maxed out now. Unless I cut down my neighbors' trees, the rest of my yard is in total shade.
