Country Life’s Garden Diaries: From lawn to leafy greens

Watching the headlines roll in about the rising prices of food as fertiliser and freight costs spike worldwide due to the war in Iran I felt a familiar sense of anxiety tighten in my stomach.

It was the same feeling when questions of food security and resiliency arose during the Covid-19 pandemic.

There was only one place to put this anxiousness then. So again I turned my mind to the 16m2 square patch of lawn outside my house and thinking about how I could grow my own food.

It turns out I have no green thumb though so I’m calling in the experts to help. You can follow along over the next few months to check my progress and learn from my likely many mistakes.

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My first expert is Hannah Zwartz. Based on the Kāpiti Coast, she’s an experienced gardener with about over 40 years under her belt, working in community gardening, urban farming, food production, garden design, and teaching.

It turns out I’m not the only one who’s been more interested in growing my own food.

“People are definitely interested. I think a lot of people are coming to realise it’s not necessarily an easy thing to do, but it is a really good challenge,” she told Country Life.

“If you can squeeze in a bit of time here and a bit of time there, and if you know, find out what you’re doing, it can be a real joy.”

Starting in the early autumn is a good time for working in the garden. Though the growth is slow it’s a good chance to be set up ahead of the winter months.

On her first visit during a windy Wellington afternoon, Hannah made a quick assessment of my backyard where we’d be working.

I have two factors working in my favour - it’s a north facing site which means plenty of sun - and I apparently have quite good soil.

“So Kay Baxter at Kōanga, who’s done a kind of a deep dive into homegrowing, she estimates that to grow enough food for a family you need about 250 square metres, and then you can grow all your grains, your proteins - everything,” Hannah said.

“I reckon this is a really good size to start. I think you’ll be surprised what you can grow probably.”

Hannah took a spade to dig up patches of soil to gauge how well it drains and the number of worms already in the soil. Even the weeds growing amidst the grass are a good indicator of its condition.

Based on her findings, she decided the best layout for the garden will be four 4-metre long beds going north-south, with rows of woodchip or bark in between for paths so they can be accessed from either side.

To build the beds we’re using a no dig approach which means using layers of organic matter to build up the soil.

Lawn clippings, sheep manure and some autumn leaves collected from my parents form the base layer. I sprayed these with the hose to moisten the soil and attract more worms.

Then it was time for me to add the cardboard I gathered from local stores. Plain cardboard, with any plastic removed is best. This helps to suppress the weeds and will break down over time adding to the layers. It too is watered with hose.

Finally, my brother and I spent an afternoon unloading heaps of compost and bark, laying this out in their various rows to form the bed. This was by far the most laborious task, but the one which earned the biggest reaction from Hannah upon her next visit a week later.

I thought I was reducing the amount of work I’d have by cutting out my lawn mowing duties, but looking at the beds before us I realised it was just the beginning.

Time for planting. Here’s Hannah’s advice:

• Water the seedlings heavily before planting
• Check the root systems are of a good size and properly developed before planting - if they’re a bit small, pop them somewhere warm to grow a bit more
• Be mindful not to plant your seedlings too deep - up to the first leaves from the seed is generally good
• Water in your seedlings with a seaweed tonic to add more microorganisms to the soil

“You want to sort of tuck them right in. So I pour some nice seaweed liquid into the hole, and then pat them in put nice and firmly like that,” she showed me.

The seedlings have been planted in a zigzag pattern with larger crops like broccoli, celery and kale prioritised. Smaller root crops like beetroot, along with spring onions and lettuces have been planted in between.

“I think interplanting is a good way to go because the more variety you have, the more biodiversity in the soil, the better the soil, and better, and supposedly it might confuse the insects. We’ll see about that,” Hannah said.

We will.

Along another row, bean seedlings have been planted with some supports, and radish and carrot seeds sown in front.

Now that they’ve sprouted my next job will be to plant the second lot of seeds and seedlings. Interval planting like this will help keep me in a steady supply rather than being inundated with produce all at once.

I’ll also be keeping a close eye on each of them to ensure they aren’t attacked by pests or damaged in the cold. It’ll be a while before they’re ready.

The next step will be learning how to properly set up my compost bin and worm farm which will help feed future garden beds. Stay tuned…

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