North Facing Garden - how to deal with it and what to do.

[Snadger]

Just a quick update on how my first growing season went this year as I thought it might be useful or of interest to share.

Well it's been better than I thought and I am pleased to say I have had a very enjoyable growing season, this being my first I was not expecting much but it's been great.

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I started with sorting the soil out, it had previously had spuds in and purple sprouting so I knew it was growing soil. I still dug it over in Feb, filled it with compost/manure and some bark. Then I planted some broad beans which were grew from plugs from my parents. The month before I planted kale and chard. I then put in some courgettes in the June straight into the soil and they have done really well. I also planted some runner beans in June too. Fruit wise, behind the trellis we had redcurrants/gooseberries and an old raspberry bush showed up too. Rhubarb also sulked but shot up after a while too. It was a little cold for growing I think. We also had 2 large troughs of salad leaves which were cut and come again.

Surprisingly I found an apple tree next to the trellis which had been poorly managed but has fruited, the blasted squirrels had the apples though. I dont think I'll be keeping the tree as it's been trained incorrectly and looks a mess.

After the broads were finished, I put in January King Cabbages and Northern Light Leeks which have shot up ready for the winter.

Herbs have all been in pots mostly, basil, thyme, lemon thyme, vietnamese coriander, sage, rosemary, lemon grass, basil, lavendar, verbena, marjoram, chives, tarragon, 2 different mints including moroccan tea mint after a trip to Marrakech.

We also got 2 chickens. Robshaw and Blossom. I also had built through a local course the crown in the garden and something I am very excited about, an earth oven - built for baking bread/pizza and cooking food. It's beautiful.

So the north facing garden wasnt that bad, it took some adjusting. My only failures were carrots which just didnt happen, it was wishful thinking with the soil I think. Beetroot didnt do well but I planted them in the cold, not a good idea in hindsight.

I am pleased to say I look on with pride. Now, it's about working out how far I can push it. Can I go past the herb line ? Dig some more out and plant some in the partial shade ? Is it time for flowers, my girlfriend loves them. Should I do that ? I have a small garden pack from Higgledy Garden.....who knows. It's very exciting !

I was gunna suggest moving house.....until I spotted your piccie!

[tom_birmingham]

Thanks guys and thanks for the feedback. My next phase is going further back to the lawn, perhaps by another 6 feet with small raised beds for salad crops etc. We eat a lot of salad !

[veggiechicken]

Well done Tom - it looks fantastic and beautiful as well
Why don't you bite the bullet and get rid of the lawn completely - you know you want to

[Bren In Pots]

Thanks guys and thanks for the feedback. My next phase is going further back to the lawn, perhaps by another 6 feet with small raised beds for salad crops etc. We eat a lot of salad !

That's the start of a slippery slope next thing you know you there won't be any lawn left

I've measured our lawn and only left to erect the trailer tent if we need to dry it out.

[tom_birmingham]

That's the start of a slippery slope next thing you know you there won't be any lawn left

I've measured our lawn and only left to erect the trailer tent if we need to dry it out.

That is now my thinking, I am now planning of furthering the potential of the garden. On the right hand side is a fence which goes up to the end of the outside loo. I could put raised beds in there, upturning the lawn to use as potting compost and plant some other bits and pieces too. As I mentioned at the start of the year, the previous owner grew bolotti beans up a trellis so it can be done.

I'd shorten the hedge for obvious reasons to get more sunshine and will be doing that over the next few weeks. Once you stop, well, you cant really stop.

[tom_birmingham]

Hello Gang, me again your trusty north facing garden grower.

'In a constantly revolving circle every point is simultaneously a point of departure and a point of return. If we interrupt the rotation, not every point of departure is a point of return' said Karl Marx.

Well that is all very well when you have a decent sized plot but this year, my second year of growing I have hit a bit of a problem.

This winter I grew 15 January King cabbages and they were excellent, previous to these cabbages we had broad beans around 15 dwarf plants which did quite well and kept us going through the winter due to freezing.

I am aware if we follow the crop rotations advice of the gods I should be heading into potato time now, however I bought some potato sacks to save space and improve my harvest by not having them in the ground. Has anyone got any ideas of what I could do for a small little space which is around 10x10 foot ?



This year in the garden I have decided to hit the shadier part with a raised bed which is 6 foot and runs alongside our chicken coop (it's behind where I am standing, the previous gardener in the house grew borlotti beans on a trellis there so it can be done), it's in the main shadow of the house so I'll be growing cavolo nero, salad and some herbs. The sunniest part, behind the courgettes and where the cabbage plugs were should be potato country but as previously mentioned I would like to keep them in the sacks, we are not big potato eaters here in the house and I don't want to go potato mad for the sake of things. I'll move the courgettes to where the beans were and put the beans where the courgettes were I think, or I'll take your advice from you good people.

Thoughts, feelings or big no no's are most welcome. Please be kind xx

[maverick451]

Hi tom

I have a very small area to work with

I try and make use of all vertical space, maybe you could grow something up the fence on the right hand side?

I have about 8 hanging baskets on the go and grow trailing tomatoes, sweet peppers and chilli in these.

I find cut and come again salad leafs very productive in a small area

[tom_birmingham]

Hi Maverick, thanks for your reply.

I was thinking about doing that, my first thought was a climbing nasturtium as I love the flowers and leaves but then I also thought it might be worth going with something else. The area is fine and manageable as there is just me and my girlfriend, it's just the cabbage area and what might be best to put in it ? For the record, that photo was taken last summer around late August if I remember correctly. I bought this thread up as I hope it will become useful for north facing gardeners.

[Greentea]

Hi Tom ! Well done , lovely garden !
I've got exactly the same problem , long ,North facing garden but I grow everything in raised beds as it brings the planting at a higher level plus my soil is complete rubbish. It's not as bad as it sounds , I do get the sun up until the evening so that's more than enough. Plus not all the vegetables need to be grown in full blazing sun, peas & lettuces for example. I have a raised bed dedicated to my raspberries as for the sun loving plants like tomatoes , cucumbers etc I grow them under cover anyway. I would suggest to grow carrots & beetroot in containers , carrots like sandy soil. Also, I've grown garlic last year in 3 pots with great success.
As for the hedge , yes perhaps you can shorten it a bit but bear in mind that it gives you some shelter as well.

[marchogaeth]

In Joy Larkham's book, I'm sure she quotes some scientific research where the same crops were grown every year for 7 years before problems associated with lack of rotation were a concern. Throughout the book she is clear that there is not a fixed rule for crop rotation.

As for your space, what about some oriental greens? Lots of them cope with short day length (so maybe lower light). Real Seeds have an amazing collection, I'm not even that keen on them and every time I look I'm tempted. The company are really approachable and, although they say they can't help with routine gardening queries, I'm sure they'd deal with your specific situation as much as anything because they'd be glad to have your feedback.

[marchogaeth]

Actually, coming back to say excellent job, you should have a glow of pride. I farm on a North slope, 600' up facing the Irish Sea but with enough distance not to have to seriously worry about salt. My saving grace is that I get the sun right until the minute it sets once it gets above the mountains behind. I'm trying judicious use of clear polythene this year to warm the soils, dry it and encourage early weed growth so I can get rid of them. I was hoping to make some mini poly tunnels over beds but I think the wind will be too much. (50mph last night!)

[Penellype]

Looks really good

As to what to grow, it all depends on what you like to eat. You say this is the sunnier part of the garden, so if it was me I would fill it with things like peas, onions or tomatoes depending on what you are growing elsewhere. I always save the sunnier parts of my garden for these and also courgettes. I think if you have very sahdy areas you simply can't do the standard crop rotation. I grow my potatoes in deep shade, which they tolerate well, but I couldn't grow onions or courgettes against a north facing wall - I'd get no crop at all. Similarly I wouldn't want to waste the sunny parts growing brassicas and carrots which are quite content with part shade.

[tom_birmingham]

Thanks for all your help with this. I think the theory of crop rotation is all well and good with so much growing in such a little space, I guess improving the soil is the best possible answer. I didn't think the spuds would appreciate shade so I'll move the bags over to the shady spot and use it accordingly. Thank you all so much for your advice and guidance, this forum is a gold mine of help, information and kind people. I'll keep you updated throughout the growing season with my achievements and learning.

All the very best with your seasons too, again feedback and ideas always welcome.

[marchogaeth]

But I think we are going to be learning from you - lots.

[tom_birmingham]

Hi, here is my April update for you guys and I come to you with a new idea and advice seeking.

Thus far the spuds in their sacks are growing at such a quick rate now. I have planted 8 butter head lettuces at the most shadiest part of the garden in the raised bed. They seem to have done well and are now starting to grow nicely. The rhubarb and blueberries (blueberries are in containers) are starting to also get their groove on, the rhubarb like everyone else has really shown some great growth the past fortnight and this evening

I planted 2 rows of main crop carrots tonight (fingers crossed they will do well). The garlic in my large pigs trough which acts as a boundary between 2 growing sites have also done well. It's now a waiting game, we had some frosts the night I put my lettuces in but I think it was fairly quick in terms of frosting and not that heavy so they have survived.

What brings me now onto with your advice and thoughts is my little front garden, currently pebbled over and south facing. Last year I placed 4 pots of herbs, which were crawling rosemary, thyme and lemon grass. I came home to all 4 pots stolen which left me deeply upset and feeling that I would never place anything else there, I am now starting to have second thoughts - what could I grow here ? Perhaps a large container with a crop of something, it's super hot in the south facing front garden in the summer. It gets a lot of sun. Obviously the containers have to be theft proof as much as possible. What are your suggestions....all ideas welcome.