Readers reply: how big a garden would you need to be self-sufficient for a family of four?

  • 📰 GuardianAus
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 28 sec. here
  • 2 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 15%
  • Publisher: 98%

Australia Headlines News

Australia Latest News,Australia Headlines

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts

A traditional allotment of about 250 sq metres was thought to be sufficient for urban poor families. But this will not grow grain or potatoes. Nor will all the crops come at convenient times. However, even in the smallest area you can concentrate on the most cost-effective crops. In order you should try: 1) herbs, 2) cut-and-come-again salad leaves: lettuce, rocket, etc; 3) salad “additions”: spring onions, radish, etc; 4) runner beans. After that, I’d put in a mention for soft fruit.

The work was unending, hobbies were abandoned, friends ignored and customers difficult to find. We found that the garden wasn’t big enough to provide all of our needs, but was too much work part-time. Capital was nonexistent and large machinery not viable in a very small field. The experience has stood me in good stead; I enjoy gardening and growing on an allotment, but would caution against hoping to become self-sufficient unless you can use mechanical equipment on the land and have large polytunnels to provide a year-round growing environment.

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.

What vegetables are you wanting to grow, big difference between winter vegetables and summer vegetables most winter vegetables grow in-ground and above for summer

We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 1. in AU

Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

I believed readers only wanted trauma stories from writers of colour. Then I became an author | Zoya PatelFor so long, it seemed that readers were only interested in the experiences of people like me if we were traumatised, not triumphant – and I internalised this as an indisputable fact
Source: GuardianAus - 🏆 1. / 98 Read more »

I believed readers only wanted trauma stories from writers of colour. Then I became an author | Zoya PatelFor so long, it seemed that readers were only interested in the experiences of people like me if we were traumatised, not triumphant – and I internalised this as an indisputable fact
Source: GuardianAus - 🏆 1. / 98 Read more »

Dahlias go viral as social media makes these classic blooms cool againFrom their humble origins as a cottage garden staple, dahlias are experiencing a resurgence in popularity thanks to the power of social media — and James Bond. They always were beautiful but never hugely popular in Australia -extremely so in the UK I knew people there who grew them avidly for show purposes more womans weakly pap...
Source: abcnews - 🏆 5. / 83 Read more »

Crowds in Milan protest against curbs on rights of same-sex parentsItaly’s new rightwing government put a strong emphasis on traditional family values during elections
Source: GuardianAus - 🏆 1. / 98 Read more »

Icon names Anzac dream team to tame the LionsThe great TimHoran12 picked eight Kiwis and seven Aussies in his Anzac dream team for 2025. 🔥 StanSportAU RugbyHeaven
Source: wwos - 🏆 12. / 68 Read more »

‘You got any gear’: Lehrmann’s text after Higgins rape allegation made publicTexts released by the court reveal Bruce Lehrmann messaged “need bags” and “you got any gear” after Network Ten aired an interview with Brittany Higgins.
Source: brisbanetimes - 🏆 13. / 67 Read more »