Tried this a couple of times before, to varying degrees of success, a small garden within the market garden, a kinda test/demo back yard-sized plot. One year, it was an elaborate set-up we called Home Garden, masterminded by Shannon: after a great start, I think it eventually went to the weeds, being lower on the weeding list than many other things… This year, it’s a simple 10’x20′ rectangle, being measured, squared and staked out for tilling by Ashley. This version is called the Riot Garden because the plan is no plan, just throw in odds and ends of leftover seedlings and seeds, and edit as we go…what could be easier, right?!
Does this work in any climate, for example in Mauritius. it seems interesting but will it work and what about vegetables? is still a good idea if its for vegetables?
So… do you recall how the Riot Garden worked out ? Did you harvest anything interesting ?
No, don’t remember at all, though it’s safe to say that, probably sooner than later, it got overgrown and abandoned. It’s so easy to forget in the ambitious moments at the beginning of a season how much work it takes to keep up with a veggie garden of any size. Starting a tiny garden beside a larger one doesn’t make the tinier one easier to manage: “Oh, it’ll just take 15 minutes to weed, once or twice a week!” Sounds great, but I’d bet on nope.
On the other hand, if we included it as part of the main garden, instead of as an extra, at least one of the demo home garden attempts would’ve probably worked out. To do that would’ve meant ADDING MORE WORK, just for…fun. There never seems to be room for that… :)