Garden 1 - Leela's, Ventnor

Sunny, north-facing cottage garden with many flowers and edible plants

Leela’s 17 years old garden is a good example of how much food can be grown in a relatively small urban backyard.  A small home at the front of the block allows for a big, north-facing rear garden. 

The cottage-style garden has many curved garden beds, with a profusion of flowers.  Colourful glass and pottery decorations, together with pretty mosaics on the garden paths, add to this garden’s charm.  Most vegetables are planted directly into the ground, with small raised edges bordered by gravel and mulched paths.  This is complemented by many types of fruit trees, herbs and native plants.  Chickens, water tanks and solar panels add to sustainable living. 

Companion planting is used to manage pests.  For example, nasturtiums planted under the apple tree have been effective in reducing aphids.  Mulching and composting are essential in constantly building healthy soil that retains water, as is the use of green manure crops grown in winter.

After all this hard work, Leela can relax with a cup of her tea on her sunny, northern deck, enjoying watching her garden grow!