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BACKTO
FRONT
MANUALor Growing Food in Front Gardens
Written and collated by Emma Oldroyd
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BACK TO FRONT
ENCOURAGESPEOPLE TO
HAVE FRONTGARDENS THAT
LOOK GOODAND TASTE BETTER
This manual has been written and collated by LandscapeArchitect Emma Oldroyd CMLI, Leeds Metropolitan University.
Emma would like to especially thank Roxana Summers, JonAndrews, Alma Clavin and Nicki Algar or their work towardsthis manual.
Please see page 65 or contributions and credits thanking allorganisations, experts and designers who have been involvedin producing this manual.
ISBN: 978-1-908562-03-6Published by Inra, Leeds, UK.Broadcasting Place, LS2 9ENwww.inrapress.org.uk 2011 Inrapress
This manual can be downloaded or use as a reerence. However,no part o it may be reproduced in any orm or manner withoutpermission rom the authors except in the case o brie quotations
or single images embodied within the art icles. Any reerence tothis document must be properly cited. Back to Front CommunityGroup, Leeds City Council, Leeds Metropolitan University, LocalGovernment Group and NHS Leeds have permission rom Inra tore-print the manual or urther distribution.
Photos images and plans are all Back to Fronts own or are stockphotography unless otherwise stated.
Disclaimer: While every eort has been made to ensure that theinormation contained in this manual is accurate, some details willinevitably change over time.
Funded by the Local Government Group.The Local GovernmentGroup is here to support, promote and improve local government.We will ght local governments corner and support councilsthrough challenging times by making the case or greater devolution,helping councils tackle their challenges and assisting them todeliver better value or money services. Visit www.local.gov.uk
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Back to Front is acommunity organisationset up to promote foodgrowing in front gardensso that they look goodand taste better.
Growing food at home gives people achance to exercise, eat fresher food, spend
less money on groceries, feel better and helpthe environment. Front garden growingimproves the look and feel of your streetand is super-convenient for growers. ButBack to Front gardening is much more thanthis; it is about how neighbours talk andshare and grow together as communities.As the chair of the Back to Front communitygroup, I want to thank everyone involved in
this project so far. This includes my twochildren who indirectly and randomlyinspired me to develop the project.It is Back to Fronts dream that all frontgardens look good and taste better.Whether you are starting from scratch or anexperienced grower wanting to make the mostof your space, I hope this manual can inspire
you to grow more food in your front garden.Make sure you tell us how you got on!
Roxana Summers, Back to Front Community [email protected]
INTRODUCING BACK TO FRONT
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Iris in her garden. Harehills
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PART 1: BACK TO FRONT 6
The Back to Front story 8Why Back to Front? 9
PART 2: LETS GET GROWING 12
Start o small 14
A more permanent garden 16Back to Front demo gardens 18Growing guide 22Back to Front worries? 30
PART 3: LETS GET BUILDING 32
Space & money saving 34building projects
PART 4: LOCAL RESOURCES 60
Materials and plants 62
Contributions and credits 65Inormation and resources 66
PART 5: LAST WORDS 70
The uture o Back to Front 70
Contents
THE BACK TOFRONT MANUALBack to Front encourages people to have front gardens
that look good and taste better.
This manual contains information to help you start to growfood in your front garden by starting off small, savingmoney and space and by using local resources.
Back to Fronts approach has been informed and inspiredby our work in Harehills and Chapeltown, Leeds, between2009 and 2011.
The manual can be used by individuals, communityorganisations and schools. We hope you enjoy readingand using it and that it helps you to grow more food inyour front garden.
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PART 1
BACK TO FRONT
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Back to Front had its rst home in Inner NorthEast Leeds and was envisioned by RoxanaSummers, who is a Leeds resident and healthimprovement worker or NHS Leeds. Roxanawas initially inspired by the Bangladeshi peopleo Leeds who oten used their ront gardens togrow spinach, beans, pumpkins, garlic andcoriander. There was such a contrast betweenthese edible gardens and some o the gardensnext door, which could be at best, laid with anely manicured lawn and at worst, used as
a dumping ground or rubbish, old tyres andurniture. Roxana wanted to unlock the potentialo ront gardens and promote these sometimesorgotten spaces as places to grow yourown ood.
To nd out what local people thought about localood growing, NHS Leeds and BTCV conducteda survey o 361 residents in Inner North EastLeeds+. Then, using this knowledge, Back to
Front successully secured unding rom the LocalGovernment Group to write this manual. Theproject developed in partnership with Leeds CityCouncil, the Landscape Architecture team atLeeds Metropolitan University and NHS Leeds.It has been enriched by injections o public andproessional involvement along the way. A list oall contributions is included on page 65.
It is Back to Fronts dream that in thefuture, everyone will have gardens thatlook good and taste better. Look atpart two of this manual for information
about how to get going with growingand help make this dream becomereality!
You can read more about the future ofBack to Front on page 70.
NHS Leeds (2011) Growing Trends in Inner North East Leeds BTCVLeeds (2009) Growing Trends in Inner North East Leeds
THE BACK TO FRONT STORY
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WHY BACK TO FRONT?Front gardens have huge potential or growing.
No one has measured the total size o all theront gardens in the UK but in Harehills, Leeds,ront gardens take up 20% o the land in atypical street o Victorian terraces.
Front gardens are an important part o ourneighbourhoods but we rarely think o usingthem as places to grow ruit and vegetables.
Back to Front aims to inspire everyone to
start using their front gardens more forgrowing food. The idea supports nationwideguidance that encourages people to stoppaving over their ront gardens. In act, since2008, i you want to pave an area o over vemetres squared or more, with watertight pavinglike mortared stone or tarmac, you will need toapply or planning permission2.
Other paving options are explained well in the
RHS booklet Gardening Matters (2005).Encouraging people to grow plants instead olaying slabs in their ront gardens is one thing.But what about using them or growing ruit andvegetables? First lets think about why we dontgenerally use our gardens or ood growing inthe UK.
A lot can be explained by our cultural heritage and history.Places like Harehills changed radically in the 19th and early20th centuries, when many o the terraced houses werebuilt. This change went hand in hand with the reduction andprivatisation o land that some people used to grow ood.The gardens provided werent particularly designed orgrowing and people didnt use them or that. Oten, thequality o the soil was poor and the space needed or doinghousehold chores.
O course many people could aord to go and buy their
ruit and vegetables rom shops and markets. But those thatcouldnt, suered. The Allotment Act in 1908 orced localauthorities to provide places or growing in cities. Initially,mainly poor people tended to work allotments but theybecame more and more popular during the world wars whenood became harder to come by. Even so, its easy to see thatover time, growing your own has been associated with theneed to make ends meet. Some people were embarrassedabout growing instead o buying ood so oten, vegetablepatches were hidden rom view.
Greater London Authority (2005) Crazy Paving: The Environmental Importanceo Londons Front Gardens. Sept 2005, p5. 2Department o Communitiesand Local Government (2008) Guidance on the Permeable Suracing o FrontGardens, p5.
Front gardens take up 20% o the land in a typical street obrick Victorian terraces in Harehills, Leeds
WHY DONT WE USE OUR FRONT GARDENS FOR GROWING FOOD IN THE UK?Backyards
Houses
Frontyardspaces
Backyards
Houses
Frontyardspaces
Street
N
30m20m10m5m
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GROWING TRENDS TODAY
All over the country and all over Leeds, people are really getting interestedin growing ood. Allotment waiting lists are massively oversubscribed withalmost 85,000 people waiting or the 152,442 plots available in England.
In Leeds there are about 1800 people waiting or space on the 32 allotmentsites owned by Leeds City Council. In response, people are becoming morecreative. Local groups have been trying to reclaim public space or growingand setting up garden swapping or sharing schemes. All sorts o spaces arebeing used to grow ood rom balconies, window boxes and gardens topockets o letover land in towns and cities.
People in Leeds are certainly keen to join the food movement. In asurvey o 361 local residents rom Inner North East Leeds completed in20093, 21% already grow some o their own ood and 42% expressed aninterest in growing more. However, a lack o time, space and money arethe main reasons that put people o growing their own ood at home4.
This manual shows how these concerns can be alleviated through beingresourceul and through clever design solutions.
There are many reasons why food growing is becoming popular5.Our Back to Front gardeners explain that:
Growing your own can save you money, especially i you grow oods
that are expensive to buy like sot ruit or asparagusGrowing your own ood means than you can make sure that your oodhas been grown just the way you like it
The whole amily can get involved in growing ood
Growing your own makes you eel excited and proud.
Right: A Garden or Time: A Back to Front demonstration garden
Campbell. M & Campbell. I (2011) Allotment Waiting Listsin England in 2011, May 2011, Transition Towns WestKirby and NSALG. Personal communication with Leeds CityCouncil, Allotments Inspector. 3NHS Leeds (2011) GrowingTrends in Inner North East Leeds. 4BTCV Leeds (2009)Growing Trends in Inner North East Leeds. 5 www.direct.gov.uk(n.d.) Grow Your Own Fruit and Vegetables.
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4.Start small
8.Worktogether
FRONT GARDEN GROWINGCAN BENEFIT YOU IN THEFOLLOWING WAYS
1Our Back to Front growers have oundit is super-convenient to be able to careor their gardens and harvest ood on theirway home.
2 Gardening up ront can improve your sociallie! Our ront gardeners report that since theystarted growing ood in their ront gardens,they have spoken to more o their neighboursand passers by then they did previously.
3Beautiul and bountiul ront gardens have apositive eect on the general look and eel othe neighbourhood1. When we asked peoplein Harehills about this, everyone who tookpart agreed that the neighbourhood elt betterater we built our demonstration gardens.
1 Soomeren et al (2008) Reducing the Fear Factor
THE BACK TO FRONTPRINCIPLES
Above: Back to Fronts A Garden To Share
So, Back to Front can benet you, your
family and your neighbourhood. But theresalso a bigger picture that Back to Front sitswithin. The way that we sow, grow andsource our food in the UK and further aeldis becoming more of a problem. In summary;
The cost of food is continuing to rise and could cost usup to 30% more by 2020.
A greener front garden helps reduce ooding and
other environmental issues2
.
Our food habits are carbon heavy3.
Food and the farming and manufacturing processesthat produce it accounts for at least 20% of ourharmful emissions in the UK3.
OECD-FAO (2011) OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2011-2020. Departmento Communities and Local Government (2008) Guidance on the Permeable
Suracing o Front Gardens. Sustainable Development Commission (2011)Looking Back, Looking Forward, Sustainability and UK Policy, 2000-2011.
1.Use yourfront garden
2.Grow fruit,vegetablesand owers
3.Useverticalspace
5.Reduce,re-use andrecycle
6.Use localresources
7.Share knowledgeand supplies
9.Work with managersof public space andbuildings to increasespace and facilities
10.Be ambitious
The Back to Front idea is very simple and is captured in the principles listed below. Back to Front can be taken onby individuals, families and groups of friends; neighbourhoods, community organisations, landlords and schools.
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PART 2
LETS GET GROWING
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Growing fruit and vegetables is easy and fun.
You can start off small by growing plants incontainers. Container growing can help youkeep on top of weeds and garden pests andmakes it easy move and change your gardenaround. All you need to do is make sure thateach container you use has:
1. A wide enough opening to allow rain waterto all into it (thats i you are not planning towater your plants with a watering can or hose)
2. A hole in the bottom so that water can drainout. This stops your plants getting waterloggedwhen it rains or i it gets over-watered
3. Enough space inside or the plant to grow
4. Been lled almost to the top with soilor compost.
I you decide to have a go at container gardening, you arelikely to need to water your plants more oten than i they wereplanted in the ground. Our growing guide section on page 22includes inormation to help you choose the right vegetables orthe right size pots.
Its worth remembering there are all sorts o containers availableor growing and planting vegetables in. You dont have tospend a ortune on pots and planters and can oten re-use thingsthat you nd at home. Heres what happened when Back toFront got creative with container growing!
START OFF SMALL
Veg by the barrow Washing up bowl Loo loads o veg
Put the kettle onAny veg or juicing?Baby bath salad
Gas pipes ull o spuds Time or tea? Lighting the way Buckets o beans
Hats o to growing
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BASIC TOOLSYou dont need to invest in many tools to
start growing your own at home. Back toFront basics include:
FOR CONTAINER GARDENING
A trowel to dig holes
A watering can
FOR FRONT GARDEN GROWING
A ork to break up and dig over the soil
A trowel or digging holes
A spade i you want to dig big holes
A watering can
EASY WINSHere is a list of plants that Back to Front
gardeners have found easy to growfrom seed.
*These plants may need to be grown indoors to begin with.
WANT TO GET STARTED?
Just ollow the instructions on the seed packet and watch asyour eorts fourish.
TOO MANY SEEDS IN THE PACKET?
Why not share your let over seeds with a riend or neighbour?Organised sessions are listed on page 64.
I growing rom seeds sounds a bit ddly try buying youngplants rom supermarkets, garden centres or nurseries. Youllneed to re-pot baby plants (or plugs as they are oten called)into your own, more spacious containers. You might need to dothis more than once to make sure each plant has more room togrow and thrive. Look at our growing guide section rom page22 or more inormation.
Tomatoes*
(varieties like Tumbling
Toms are good or pots) Beetroot*
Courgette*Spring OnionRadishes
Potatoes
(buy seed potatoes)
Beans*Spinach* Coriander*Pea*
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SUPER-SIZE
CONTAINER
GARDENING
Steve and Suzi in Pudsey dont mess about when itcomes to container gardening! Theyve planted awhole harvest of fruits and vegetables in builders
bags that theyve looped over their front gardenfence. They have xed more recycled fencing aroundthe bags to contain them.
Builders bags can oten be collected ree o charge rombuilders merchants and building companies.
Conveniently, you can have a whole tonne o topsoil ina builders bag delivered rom building and soil suppliersstraight to your ront garden. Prices vary between 35 and75 depending on the company, how easy it i sto access your garden and according to the quality o soil
you are buying. It might be worth thinking about orderingin bulk with your neighbours.
Thinking about ordering a super-size bag of soil?
1. Make sure that a lorry can park close to your garden
fence so that the soil can be lifted into your gardenwith the crane.
2. Make sure that the soil lled bag can t inside yourgarden. Builders bags measure about one metre inwidth, depth and height when they are full.
3. Make sure that the bag of soil is left in exactly theright place! These bags of soil really do weigh atonne and cant be moved unless you shovel all of thesoil out rst. We know from experience that this canbe back-breaking work!
4. Be mindful that soil quality can vary. Soil that has
been screened contains fewer stones, debris androots. Top quality soil should at least meet BritishStandard* BS3882:2007
Topsoil isnt always expensive. Some builders yardsallow you to go and collect it for very low prices andsometimes for free, which is a good cheap option if youhave time, your own transport and lots of muscles!
*British Standards provide quality indicators or a range o products andservices within the building industry.
A MORE PERMANENT GARDENYou can create a more permanent ruit
and vegetable garden at the ront o yourhouse by;
Makingsupersizecontainers
Devotingyourborderstogrowingfood
Turninglawnareasintogrowingspaces
Makingsomeraisedbeds
Growingplantsupwallsandfences.
The ollowing ideas might providesome inspiration.
Suzi and Steves garden. You can visit this garden yoursel becauseit is a permaculture demonstration garden. More inormation isavailable rom www.permaculture.org.uk.
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KEY FEATURES
North-facing
Usingverticalsurfacestohanguppotsand grow climbers
Mixinginoweringplantstomakethe
garden prettier and attract insects topollinate plants and eat troublesome pests.
Usingasmallmetaltintocompostpeelings and replenish the gardensnutrients
WE FOUND THAT:
Thissortofgardentakesalotoftimeto make and maintain but isvery rewarding or Iris, Jos andtheir neighbours.
IrisandJoseatsomethingfromtheirgarden every day in summer
Youcanstillgrowlotsoffoodinanorth-acing garden
CHOOSE IT
Choose a piece o overgrown garden
COVER IT
Cover it with cardboard or heavy abric (oldcarpet does the job well) or plastic and leaveover winter.
COMPOST IT
In spring remove all materials rom your patchunless you have used cardboard, which will
rot into the soil. Next, cover the ground with athick layer o mulch. You could use compost orwell-rotted horse manure. Leave the mulch tosettle or a ew weeks, then plant out seedlingsor sow directly into the compost. Timber edgesare optional but helpul.
No-dig gardening is a popular activity as youmight well imagine. You can nd out more romthe Garden Organic website and there is analternative method published on You Tube.
MARKS NO DIGGARDEN IRIS GARDEN
An abundant garden that really makes the most of the front
garden space.Made by Iris and Jos | Harehills, Leeds | Winner o In Bloom competition 2010 and 2011 andgardening competitions in East North East Homes Leeds between 2009-2011
Mark Beardmore tells us how he transormedhis lawn into a well-stocked vegetablepatch in three easy steps and without doingany digging!
You can visit Marks garden yourselbecause it is a permaculture demonstrationgarden. More inormation is available romwww.permaculture.org.uk.
Marks garden and photo
Julian Willis garden and photo.
Suzi and Steves garden.
Who said gardening was all hard work?
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A terraced garden designed for wildlife, ease of use and to make
the most of garden ecosystems.This approach is based on the ideas and principles
o permaculture design. For more inormation about permaculture, please see page 66.
Made by Chris | Meanwood, Leeds
KEY FEATURES
Re-usingrecycledmaterialsfoundinskips
Keepingthegrowingspacesthatyouneed to access more oten closer to theront door and pathway
Useofperennialplantingthatcanbeharvested year ater year and help tosave time. Chris grows an almond tree,an apple tree hedge, gs, grapes, hardyherbs, gooseberries, rhubarb andglobe artichokes.
Thepondattractswildlifethathelpcontrolslugs and insects.
WE FOUND THAT:
Thewaythatthisgardenhasbeendesigned makes the most o thespace available.
Below: Chris garden and photograph
CHRIS GARDEN BACK TO FRONT
DEMO GARDENSIn 2010, Leeds Inner North East Area Management Committee donated 1000 toBack to Front to build three demonstration gardens. The gardens designs aimed to: Be great places for residents and meet their needs as a garden
Be made in an environmentally friendly way
Reduce the use of, re-use and recycle materials where possible
Make the most of all front garden space available
Include as many edible plants as possible.
Students from Leeds Metropolitan Universitys landscape architecture and gardendesign courses worked with local residents from Harehills and Chapeltown.Volunteers for front garden makeovers were identied through the survey ofgrowing trends in the area. Three gardens were shortlisted following a publicexhibition at Shine, a local business and community centre. Some of the materialsand all of the plants were salvaged or donated by local people. Landscapearchitect Emma Oldroyd, from Leeds Metropolitan University, worked closelywith residents to rene the designs and make sure that they could be built withinbudget and using only basic construction skills. Over a very hectic week ofremarkably sunny weather in June 2010, Emma along with student volunteers fromthe course built and planted up three demonstration gardens.
Three gardens were built, which were named A Garden for Time, A Garden
Above Ground and A Garden to Share. Back to Front were very gratefulto youth volunteers at Groundwork Leeds who did a fantastic job building theplanters in A Garden to Share. The experience of building the gardens hashelped Back to Front write this manual. The gardens themselves have beenbeautiful and bountiful and continue to be loved and used by our residents.More widely, they have made local people more positive about the way theirneighbourhood looks and feels. The next three pages showcase each gardenand summarise what we learnt from building each one.
BTCV Leeds (2009) Growing Trends in Inner North East Leeds
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Ideal for people who own their garden and
want to make something individual that lasts.Designed by landscape architect Liam Clarke and LeedsMetropolitan University | Harehills, Leeds
KEY FEATURES
Workingwiththeexistingpathways
Diggingoverandre-plantingthelawn
Usingraisedplanterstoprovidemorespaceforgrowing
Providingopportunitiesforcroprotation
WE FOUND THAT:
Cuttingchunkywoodcanbetrickyandrequiresthe correct power tools
Investingintreatedtimberforuseoutsidemeansthatit lasts longer but isnt so environmentally riendly
Installingawaterbuttwouldhelpsavemoretimewhen watering
Its nice taking care of it becausethe whole family got involved. Inthe beginning, we were arguingover who was going to water it
Back to Front gardener: A Garden or Time
Wevegot the
bestgardenin theghettonow!
A GARDEN FOR TIME
Making the gardenGarden plans19
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Ideal for people who rent or want
to avoid disturbing the ground.Designed by landscape architect Rachel Forbes and LeedsMetropolitan University | Harehills, Leeds.
KEY FEATURES
Raisedplanters
Freestandingtimberandropeframes
Stackableplantersthatcanbemovedaboutyearafteryear.
Potsandwindowboxes
WE FOUND THAT:
Ropeisacheapanddurablematerialforgrowingclimbers up
Thestackableplantersworkedreallywell
Theseraisedbedsaccommodatemoresoilthanyou might think!
I love my new garden.It looks fantastic. Myneighbours keep comingover for a look
Back to Front gardener: A Garden Above Ground I you want to make some stackableplanters like this please go to theSpace and money-saving ideassection o this manual on page 32.
A GARDEN ABOVE GROUND
Garden plans20
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Big beds in a communal garden for peoplewith more to grow.
Designed by the residents and Leeds Metropolitan University |Built by Groundwork youth volunteers | Harehills, Leeds
KEY FEATURES
Raisedplanters
Reclaimedmaterials
Workingwithvolunteergroups
WE FOUND THAT:
Whenplanningandmakingasharedgarden,there needs to be a willing volunteer within the group whowill bring everyone together and lead the project.This can be a high-pressure but rewarding challengeto take on!
Having things in the
front garden means itseasy to pick [produce]on the way in
Back to Front gardener: A Garden To Share
A GARDEN TO SHARE
The nished and established garden
Garden plans
Groundwork youth volunteer team21
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Knowing what to plant in your pots,
planters and gardens can sometimesbe a little confusing. These pagesexplain what you need to think aboutwhen choosing your plants withanswers to these ten questions;
1. How deep is my soil?2. What type of soil do I need?3. Will this plant grow in the shade?4. Will my plants produce food year after year?
(annuals and perennials)
5. Will my plants die outside in winter? (hardiness)6. Do I need a greenhouse?7. How much watering will I have to do?8. Do I need to stake up my plants?9. How long do I have to wait to pick my fruit
and veg?
10.How much produce will I get from each plant?
HOW TO USE THIS SECTION
This section provides a basic introduction to each questionlisted above. The growing guide on page 26 shows theanswers to all these questions or some o the vegetablesthat proved popular with our Back to Front gardeners.
More detailed inormation on each question can beound by looking at the books and websites listed in ourInormation and Resources section on page 66. You willalso nd that most packets o seeds have instructionsprinted on the back o them.
GROWING GUIDE QUESTIONS1. HOW DEEP IS MY SOIL?
Soil depth is important when growing ruit and vegetablesbecause plants have dierent sized roots and ways o growing.For example beans and peas have long deep roots whereassalad leaves only have shallow roots.
Vegetables that are part o a plants root system, like carrots andpotatoes need lots o space underground but leay vegetableslike broccoli and cabbages can make do with less. Usually,the bigger the plant, the more root space it needs, so pumpkinsneed ar more space to grow than spinach.
Choose the right plant for the space
you have available with the help of ourgrowing guide.See page 26.
NOT SURE WHICH PLANTS ARE HAPPY IN POTS?Check out our growing guide to nd out.
2. WHAT TYPE OF SOIL DO I NEED?
Soil is important because it contains nutrients, air and water or yourplants. Dierent types o soils suit dierent types o vegetables.
The RHS say, lighter, sandier, grainier, ree-draining soils arebetter or growing plants that produce ruit and vegetablesearlier on in the year. Heavier, clay like soils take longer towarm up in spring and so are better or crops that are availableor eating later on. Also, these clayey soils are very good atholding water. Clayey soil can be improved by digging sharpsand into it. You can buy this cheaply rom builders yards.
All garden soil can be improved by breaking it up with yourgarden ork. You need to make i t as ne as possible and should
remove as many stones as you can. Next, dig in more organicmaterial such as well-rotted manure or compost to urtherimprove your soil. More inormation about soils is available onthe RHS website.
I you read more detailed growing guides, you see that the pHvalue o soils is sometimes mentioned. This reers to the soilschemical state which can be either alkaline or acidic. Mostvegetables preer soil that is neither (or neutral), with a pH valueo about 7.
We ound that our Back to Front demonstration gardens allhad soil that was almost neutral or slightly alkaline. All o theruits, vegetables and herbs in our growing guide on page 26
would grow in this soil except or blueberries, which preer morealkaline soil o about 4pH.
It is easy to make your soil more alkaline by adding lime to it butits harder to make it more acidic.
WORRIED ABOUT YOUR SOIL? We think its best tojust start gardening and give your soil a go. For moredetailed information on soil pH, please refer to theinformation and resources on page 66.
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A SIMPLE WAY OF FINDING OUT WHAT
TYPE OF SOIL YOU HAVE
I your soil looks and eels very grainy and dusty and allsapart really easily when it is wet and squashed together, yoursoil is likely to be silty or sandy. You may need to dig inmore organic material beore you start growing.
I your soil looks a dark or deep brown and looks morecrumbly rather than grainy it is likely to be generally goodsoil (called loam) and is perect or growing.
I your soil eels greasy and you are able to make it intoshapes then it is likely to be heavy and clayey. You couldimprove it by digging sharp sand and organic matter into it
beore you start growing.
Weve matched your most popular foodplants with the soils where they grow bestin the growing guide on page 26.
You need to make sure you have broken up your soilbefore you check what type it is. If its too squashed,you might not be able to tell how clayey or silty itreally is.
AN EASY WAY TO TEST YOUR DRAINAGE
It is easy to test the drainage o your soil by digging a hole inthe ground. The hole should be about 45cm wide and deep(or as ar down as you can dig). Fill the hole up with waterand see how long it takes to drain away. I your soil is well-drained, the water will drain away quickly or steadily. I thewater hangs around or hours or days, its drainage is not sogood and can be improved by adding sand and lime to it andby digging it over in dry weather. Ater youve done all this, it iseven better to let it get really cold over winter because the rostbreaks the soil up even more.
4. WILL MY PLANTS PRODUCE FOOD YEAR
AFTER YEAR? (ANNUALS AND PERENNIALS)Most vegetables are annuals and need to be re-grown rom aseed every year.
Plants that return year ater year are called perennials. Theseplants can involve less work than annuals because they dontneed growing rom seed every year.
Plants that grow rom a sort o swollen root are called tubers.Some tubers, like ginger, are perennial. But others, likepotatoes, are not.
Most people like to grow a mix o annual and perennial ruits
and vegetables i they can.
Look at our growing guide onpage 26 to help youplan your plot out. We have divided it into 4 annualand perennial plants.
Within these sections we have grouped together
Vegetables
Fruits
Herbs
3. WILL THIS PLANT GROW IN THE SHADE?
Growing ood in ront gardens means that your house and yourneighbours houses might not be very ar away at all. All thesehouses can make your garden a little (or sometimes very) shadyat dierent times o the day. Other eatures in your garden suchas walls, hedges, ences and bins might also cast shade onyour garden.
Spend a bit o time watching how the sun and shade alls onyour garden throughout the day. How does it change? Whereare the sunniest spots? Can you move things around in thegarden to make the most o the sunshine?
Its always best to grow ruit and vegetables in the sunniestspots o the garden but i youve got a shady space, thentheres still plenty that you can grow and harvest (see Irisgarden on page 17).
WANT TO KNOW WHICH PLANTS GROW BESTIN SUN AND SHADE? Have a look at the growingguide on page 26 to see what your options are.
Emmas garden
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7. HOW MUCH WATERING
WILL I HAVE TO DO?
The amount of watering you have to will depend on
1. Whether its been raining
2. How long its been since you planted yourplants in the ground
3. The size of your garden
4.The type of plants that you grow
New plants need a little more care and attention than
established plants. I you are planting out young plants or plantsthat you have bought or grown elsewhere, you should givethem a little bit o water every day or a week unless its rained.
Bigger gardens tend to need more watering. Its a good ideato invest in a rainwater butt to collect water that has run o yourroo. Rainwater is better or plants than tap water and savesvaluable resources in summer. It might also mean that you donthave to carry your watering can so ar.
Clever planting can also reduce the need to water plants. Starto small by avoiding thirsty plants. A more advanced approachcould see you creating drought gardens and mimicking whathappens in natural eco-systems. See Growing On in ourInormation and Resources section on page 66 or more.
Despite the obvious need to water the garden, our demonstrationgardeners didnt nd it a chore. In one garden, the amily evenargued about who was going to be responsible or doing allthe watering! In general, our demonstration gardenersnormally only watered the garden for about 15 minutesa day in the height of summer.
Weve indicated which plants are especially thirsty in ourgrowing guide onpage 26.
5. WILL MY PLANTS DIE OUTSIDE
IN WINTER (HARDINESS)?Dierent plants should be sown and harvested at dierent timeso the year. There are a number o annual plants that are happyin the soil until December, such as parsnips and leeks. Someannual plants even grow throughout the winter, like cabbage,garlic, broad beans, brussel sprouts. Other annual plants, likepotatoes can be grown throughout the winter in greenhouses.The trick is to plan ahead and use all your growing space as itbecomes available.
Over winter, some perennials die back and re-grow againin spring. Others are evergreen and keep their leaves. Someperennials (like lemongrass) are too tender or the UK climate
and need to be kept protected rom the cold over winter.
NEED TO PLAN AHEAD? Look at our growing guideon page 26 help you.
6. DO I NEED A GREENHOUSE?
Many ruits and vegetables will grow straight rom the seed iyou plant it outdoors in the garden. All it needs is a little water,light and some soil and the rest is automatic.
Some seeds, like tomato seeds, only germinate (or start togrow) i they are sown in a place that is above a certaintemperature. They will still need water, light and soil but oncethe spring rosts are well and truly over the seedlings can betaken outside to grow. A sunny windowsill provides the perectplace to start o these sorts o plants. You could also start themo in a greenhouse outside.
Other plants, like aubergines, really need a warmer climate
than we have in the UK and so are best grown in a greenhouseor indoors. Sometimes you might get away with growing theseussier plants outside or the hottest part o the summer but onlyi your garden is very sheltered rom the wind and gets a lot osunshine. In the spring and autumn, you may need to heat yourgreenhouse to protect your plants rom any rosts that we might get.
Johns garden
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10. HOW MUCH PRODUCE WILL I GET
FROM EACH PLANT?Dierent plants provide more ood than others when grownin the same space. The amount o ood a plant produces iscalled its yield.
Plants that grow tall and spread out, like beans, or grow deeppotatoes are usually very space ecient.
Andi Clevely says the best plants for thegreatest yield for lowest effort are; beetroot,carrots, courgettes, dwarf French beans,gooseberries, lettuce, parsley and tomatoes.
In our growing guide, weve shown which plants giveparticularly high yields, which means that you could growat least 2kg o ood or ever y metre o your garden.
Clevely. A (2006) The Allotment Book Harper, Collins, London Bizzybee (2009) The Allotment Journal, Bizzybee, China.
8. DO I NEED TO STAKE UP MY PLANTS?
A ew plants need staking up once they grow large. Bamboocanes are used by lots o gardeners but you can use any typeo pole, rod or stake. How about using old bits o piping orpieces o wood? Perhaps an old ladder or even an old gatewould do the trick? The plants wont be ussy, they just needsomething stable to grow up.
WHICH PLANTS NEED EXTRA SUPPORT?Check our growing guide on page 26 to nd out.
9. HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO WAIT
TO PICK MY FRUIT AND VEG?Plants take dierent lengths o time to produce the roots, ruitsand leaves that are edible. Some plants (such as coriander orrocket) only take between 6 to 8 weeks beore they are readyto eat but you need to wait a good couple o years beore youcan pick your asparagus or raspberries.
Weve indicated what sort of time youll need to waitfor the fruits of your labours in our growing guide.
Julies pickings and photo
Harrys harvest
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BACK TO FRONT GROWING GUIDE
A QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE TO EDIBLEPLANTS SELECTED BY LOCAL PEOPLE
Measurements are approximate. Always check the seed packet or more inormation. Compiled rom experience and with reerence to the ollowing sources+2
Clevely. A (2006) The Allotment Book Harper Collins, London BizzyBee (2009) The Allotment Journal, Bizzybee, China.
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ANNUAL PLANTS THAT ONLY GROW ONCE A YEAR
VEGETABLES
Aubergine Beans Beetroot Broccoli Cabbage Carrots Celery Chillies CourgetteOutdoor
Cucumber Lettuce
SPACE TO GROW30-40cm
deep30cm wide
40-60cmdeep
45-60cmwide
20cm deep20cm wide
40-60cmdeep 60cm
wide
30-40cmdeep
30cm wide
40-60cmdeep
10cm wide
40-60cmdeep 30cm
wide
40-60cmdeep
45cm wide
45-60cmdeep
60-75cmwide
45-60cmdeep
50-75cmwide
20-30cmdeep 15-
30cm wide
SOIL TYPEWell drainednutrient rich
Well drained Light / sandy Well drainedWell drainednutrient rich
L ight / sandy Nutrien t rich VariableMoist welldrained
Well drainednutrient rich
Well drained
HAPPY IN POTS? N YY or roundvarieties
N Y Y N Y Y Y Y
SUN OR SHADE? SunSun or part
shade SunSun or part
shade Sun or Shade Sun Sun Sun Sun Sun Sun or Shade
HARDY? NY or broad
beansY Y Y Y N N N N
Sometypes Y
GROW INDOORSOR OUTDOORS?
Indoors or ina greenhouse
Outdoors orstart indoors
Outdoors Outdoors Outdoors OutdoorsStart oindoors
Indoors or ina greenhouse
Start oindoors
Outdoors orstart indoors
Both depends on
variety
PARTICULARLYTHIRSTY?
Y Y N N N Y Y Y Y Y Y
SUPPORT ANDSTAKING?
Y Y N Y N N N N Can climb Can climb N
TIME TO WAIT FROMSEED TO PLATE
6-8 months 2-4 months 3-4 months 10 months
4 months(summer)
8-10 months(winter)
2-4 months 6-9 months 4-5 months 3 months 3-4 months 2-3 months
PARTICULARLYHIGH YIELD?
NY (runnerbeans)
N N N N N N N N N
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ANNUAL PLANTS THAT ONLY GROW ONCE A YEAR
VEGETABLES
Onions Peas Peppers PotatoesPumpkin &
Squash Radishes Rocket SpinachSpringOnions Tomatoes
SPACE TO GROW30-40cm
deep20-30cm
wide
30-40cmdeep 45cm
wide
40-60cmdeep
45cm wide
60cm deep45cm wide
60cm deep60-90cm
wide
15-20cmdeep 10-
15cm wide
20-30cmdeep 15-
30cm wide
20-30cmdeep 15-
30cm wide
10-20cmdeep 10cm
wide
130-60cmdeep
45-30cmwide
SOIL TYPE Well drainedWell drainednutrient rich
Well drainednutrient rich
Nutrient richsoil
Nutrient richsoil
Well drainednutrient rich
Varied Well-drained Well d rainedWell drainednutrient rich
HAPPY IN POTS? N Y Y Y N Y Y Y Y Y
SUN OR SHADE? Sun Sun SunSun or part
shade Sun Sun Shade Sun or shade Sun Sun
HARDY? Y Y N Y NSome
varieties areY Y Y N
GROW INDOORSOR OUTDOORS?
OutdoorsOutdoors orstart indoors
Indoors or ina greenhouse
Outdoors Start indoors OutdoorsOutdoors orstart indoors
Outdoors orstart indoors
Outdoors Start indoors
PARTICULARLYTHIRSTY?
N N Y Y Y N N N N Y
SUPPORT ANDSTAKING?
N Y N N N N N N N Y
TIME TO WAIT FROMSEED TO PLATE
7-8 months 2-3 months 4-5 months 6-8 months 3-4 months 1 month 1-2 months 2-3 months 4-5 months 4-5 months
PARTICULARLYHIGH YIELD?
Y N N Y Y N N N N Y
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PERENNIAL PLANTS THAT GROW AGAIN YEAR AFTER YEAR
HERBS & SPICES VEG HERBS &SPICES FRUIT
Basil Coriander Garlic Ginger Asparagus Chives Lemongrass Mint Rosemary Blueberries Raspberries Strawberries
15-30cmdeep 15-
30cm wide
15-30cmdeep 15-
30cm wide
30cm deep20-30cm
wide
20cm deep15cm wide
40-60cmdeep 45cm
wide
20cm deep10-20cm
wide
30cm deep30cm wide
40cm deep60cm wide
40cm deep60cm wide
60cm deep1.5m wide
60cm deep1.5m wide
30cm deepand wide
Light / sandy Light / sandyWell drainednutrient rich
Well drainednutrient rich
Well drainedWell drainednutrient rich
Well drainednutrient rich.
Moist,nutrient rich
Dry welldrained
Light / sandywell drained
Moist,nutrient rich
Varied
Y Y N Y N Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Sun Sun Sun Sun SunSun or part
shade Sun Sun or shade SunSun or part
shade Sun Sun
N N Y N Y Y N Y Y Y Y Y
Start indoorsOutdoors orstart indoors
Outdoors Indoors OutdoorsOutdoors orstart indoors
Start indoors Outdoors Outdoors Outdoors Outdoors Outdoors
N N N Y Y N Y Y NN avoid
watering romtap
N Y
N N N N N N N N N N Y N
6 weeks - 2months
6 weeks - 2months
6-9 months9 months.
Easier to buyngers
Grow or 2-3years beorecutting. Easierto buy small
plants
2-3 months
1 year romseed. Easierto buy small
plants
1-2 months 3-4 months
3-5 years tocrop. Easierto buy small
plants
2 years tocrop. Easierto buy canes
Easier to buyplants
N N N N N N N N N N Y N
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BACK TO FRONT WORRIESStarting something new like growing your own
ruit and vegetables can be a bit daunting.From our work in Leeds, we know that somepeople worry about:
Pollution rom vehicles
Soilcontaminationincities
Inection rom cat and ox excrement
Thet and vandalism.
This section discusses each o these concerns and providessome tips or helping to lessen some o them.
Overall, cities are good places to growvegetables. Its warmer than the countryside, sothere is a longer growing season and there canbe less wind to damage crops. However, thereis a risk o soil and sometimes plants becomingcontaminated in places that are, or have been,industrial. You can nd out more about yourlocal areas past by studying old maps. Takea trip to your local history library or look atonline resources such as The Leeds TitheMaps website.
Although incomplete in places, The Harehills andChapeltown tithe maps (1836-1851) show that most of thearea contained agricultural elds, pastures and meadowswith occasional orchards or garden plots and so do notsuggest widespread contamination. Later maps (1880 and1910) show further (mostly residential) development in thearea.
Maps provide a broad level of information only. It is hardto know if all of the activities in a particular area were
actually illustrated. For example, it is possible that somehouses may have been built on old dumping grounds.In addition, soil in some gardens may contain importedmaterials, which could have come from elsewhere,including industrial sites.
Leeds City Council have a Contaminated Land InspectionStrategy that is reviewed every year. A number of placeswithin Leeds have been surveyed and if found to bepotentially harmful, cleaned up.
If you are concerned about soil contamination then anumber of special precautions are proposed:
RAISED BED GROWING Grow in raised beds that areabout a metre high lled with resh topsoil or compost.To keep the old and new soil separate, place a net at thebottom o the raised bed so that water and worms can stillpass through.
CONTAINER GROWING Grow in containers or howabout trying one o our space and money saving ideas.
FLUSHING OUT Dig 1m x 1m plot sizes (or smaller)and dig out the soil to 1m depth. Fill 60 - 80cm o thehole with gravel (this breaks the capillary action o thecontaminants) and cover with resh soil. Grow plants withshallow roots are grown in this plot. Find out more in ourgrowing guide on page 26.
If possible, edible crops should be grown in completelyuncontaminated soil but if you are at all concerned,wash and peel your fruit and vegetables before eatingthem, especially when feeding children or other morevulnerable people.
Further advice is available from Leeds City CouncilsContaminated Land Team who can be contacted on0113 2476484. They may advise how your soil canbe tested. For more information on avoiding anyharmful effects of contaminated soil see the WorldHealth Organisation European Health 21 guidelineson Contaminated Soil in Gardens.
SOIL CONTAMINATION IN CITIES
For historical maps o Leeds please see www.tithemaps.leeds.gov.uk Leeds City Council (2001) Contaminated Land An Assessment Strategy or Leeds
WHO European Health 21 guidelines - Contaminated Soil in Gardens
Vehicle exhausts produce very neparticles o soot, brake dust anda small amount o hydrocarbonsincluding benzene (which ispoisonous). But, the quantities aresmall on most urban streets. A thickhedge will lter some o the roaddust and particles. Remember that
you should always wash and peelyour ruit and vegetables beore eating them, especiallywhen eeding children or other more vulnerable people.
Girardet, H. (1999) Creating Sustainable Cities, Schumacher BriengNo.2 Green Books
POLLUTION FROM VEHICLES
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Cat excrement does pose potential health problems or humans,particularly pregnant women. I you are worried about catexcrement, wear gloves when working with soil and keep your handsaway rom your mouth. Ater gardening, wash your hands with soapand water, especially beore you eat or prepare ood. Careullywash all vegetables and ruits beore eating them. Peel and wash allroot crops. I in doubt remember that cooking will kill any diseases.
I your ront garden contains a lot o cat excrement, thecontaminants can stay active in the soil or more than ayear. Heres how you should deal with this:
1. Remove the excrement2. Break up the soil and tightly cover it with carpet or
recycled black plastic or 1 year
3. In the spring, the bed o soil will be ready to plant up.Covering the soil with 1-inch chicken wire, t ight nettingor a thick mulch between plants and rows o vegetablesmay help deter cats1.
There are a number o cat deterrents available to buy. SilentRoar2 came out on top in a survey by BBC Watchdog into catdeterrents or the garden. They ound that ater just three hours oputting the pellets down, no cats visited the garden.
1JoAnne Skelly, University o Nevada Be wary o cat poop in the veggie garden2RHS Silent Roar www.rhs.org.uk
INFECTION FROMCAT AND FOX EXCREMENT
While vandalism is a valid concern it is interesting to note thatnone o our Back to Front demonstration gardeners experiencedany thet or vandalism when we spoke to them in winter 2010.
However, i you are concerned about vandalism in your rontgarden, there are at least six ways that you can deal withsuch a worry:
1. SPEND MORE TIME IN THE GARDEN: By being outsidemore you already making your garden less appealing as a targetor crime. Busier streets experience less crime simply becausethere are more eyes upon the street.
2. MAKE FRIENDS WITH YOUR NEIGHBOURS:Knowingyour neighbours wont directly prevent people stealing but it willhelp create a place where people look out or each other. Thiscreates a sense o there being more eyes on the street, whichdoes help to deter crime.
3. SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE: Sometimes it might be worthjust accepting that some people are just not going to be able toresist the temptation o eating some o your harvest. I you shareyour ood on the street, perhaps it will prevent unwelcome visitorscoming into your garden to search or rich pickings.
4. USE GRAVEL FOR PATHS4 : Using gravel or pathways mayhelp you to hear intruders beore you see them and the idea ocreating noise will deter the opportunist thie.
5. START A TREND: Get more o your neighbours to gardenup ront just by doing it yoursel. Research has shown that peoplecopy each others garden styles3. More people out gardeningmeans that there will be more eyes on the street.
6. DEFINE YOUR BOUNDARY4: The most labour intensiveapproach is to clearly dene your ront garden by using a wall,ence or hedge and gate to restrict entry. Make sure the boundaryis low enough or passers by to see over it. A thorny hedge alongthe boundary can put thieves o. You could try growing a hedgeo edible plants like gooseberries (which are thorny) or apples,as Chris has done in his garden (see page 18), or how aboutgrowing a hardy climbing kiwi plant over a privet hedge? I youare making a ence, try to incorporate ways to grow climbingplants such as beans and courgettes into your design. A goodexample o this sort o thing can be seen at Back to Fronts AGarden Above Ground, which has a ence made out o ropes.
(see below)
Secured by Design (2004) Secured by Design Principles Secured ByDesign (2010) New Homes Zmyslony & Daniel Gagnon (1998) Residentialmanagement o urban ront-yard landscape: A random process? 4Secured byDesign (n.d) Crime Prevention At Home.
THEFT AND VANDALISM
Mark rom Pudsey keeps ourour-legged riends out o hisvegetable beds with a Perspexence, which lets in the light whileprotecting the plants.
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PART 3
LETS GET BUILDINGThis section is for people that want to reallymake the most of their space and do it in acheap and environmentally friendly way.
When we talked to local people in Leeds, we found out that41% of you were keen to grow more food at home butwere worried about lack of space and the cost of growing.This section includes ways that you can save space andmoney as you start growing food in your front garden.
SAVING MONEY
The good news is that growing your own soon starts to saveyou money, especially if you start to grow some of the fruitsand vegetables that are more expensive to buy. Wevealready shown you that you can save money by re-usingall sorts of containers to grow in. This section shows youhow you can make the most of the materials that are beingthrown away in your local area (see page 63 for moreinformation).
SPACE SAVING IDEASMaking the most of your garden space is very important.Gardens are used by most people for many activities.Gardens are for relaxing, socialising, playing and forchores like drying washing. If you dont have a very bigfront garden then its hard to think how you could t inspaces for growing on top of all these other demands.
The key idea is to make the most of your space. Perhapsraised beds could also be seating areas? Perhaps youcan take some inspiration from some of our demonstrationgardens (see page 18)? Perhaps you can make the mostof the vertical parts of your gardens like walls and fences?Perhaps you can build one of the design solutions presentedin this section of the manual?
This section includes seven space and moneysaving projects that you can build at home.
The projects have been arranged in order ofease to build starting with the least difcult.
All of these ideas were designed and drawn by students atLeeds Metropolitan University4. Each project is supported bya series of diagrams and instructions to show you what youneed to do to build it. We also tell you:
Which tools, equipment and materials you will need
How difcult it is to build
How much time it takes
How many people are needed to make itHow much you might need to pay for the materials.
Use our growing guide on page 26 to nd out what youcan plant in your new planter and nd out where you canget building materials for free in our information about localresources on page 60.
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NHS Leeds (2011) Growing Trends in Inner NorthEast Leeds BTCV Leeds (2009) Growing Trendsin Inner North East Leeds See Back to Fronts AGarden to Share on page 21 or one idea ohow this could work. 4Students rom LandscapeArchitecture, Garden Design and Design coursesworked on these ideas between 2009 and 2010.
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TROUSER PLANTER
QUICKREFERENCETOOLS
Craft knife or scissors
Large eyed needle
MATERIALSOld pair of trousers (waterprootrousers or denim materials are best)
Roll of plastic coated string
Sand
Soil
TIME
3 Hours
NUMBER OF PEOPLE
COST
Under 5
These planters are very cheap,easy to make and can be usedfor growing all sorts of fruit,
vegetables and herbs in.
Youll grow into them!
designed by Daniel Ridgway
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STEP 1
Using a crat knie or scissors cut just over halway up the inside seams o both legs.
STEP 2
Turn the trouser legs up and inside out so thelegs nish about 30cm rom the waist lineand10cm rom the outside edge o the trousers.
STEP 3
Stitch the bottom and side edges o the turnedup sections so you make three large pockets toplant into.
STEP 4
Decide upon the location o your planter. Fillabout a quarter o each pocket with sand andthe rest with soil.
Plant up your trousers!
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LIVINGSPICE RACK
QUICKREFERENCETOOLS
Drill
Phillips screwdriver
Hammer
Saw
Crowbar
Treatment for wood (optional)
Metal le
MATERIALSA wooden pallet
Sandpaper
Extra timber for supports tomeasure roughly 1200 x 50 x25mm. 6 - 8 pieces needed (youcan cut these lengths rom pallets i
you have a jigsaw).
At least 30 tin cans
1 nail
30mm wood screws
Soil
16 x nuts and bolts that are about90mm long. The thinner the boltsthe better.
TIME
1 day
NUMBER OF PEOPLE
COST
Under 5
designed by Artem Barkhin
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STEP 1
Take one wooden pallet. Separate, the mainplanks, rom the supporting pieces (see above).
Use the top planks or the main structure o yourLiving Spice Rack
You could also use bought or scrap wood tomake something similar. Whatever you use,remember that all timber will need treating tomake it last outdoors.
separate out here
separate out here
STEP 2
Attach supporting timbers to the pallet. Line upthe thinner narrow edge against acing plankso the pallet.Drill holes through the support timbers and pallet
the thread the bolts through. These should beabout 2cm rom each end o the supports.
Fix the supporting timbers to the pallet using90mm long nuts and bolts as shown.Repeat this step so that there is a timber supportattached to every plank o the pallet.
STEP 3 (optional)
Apply any preservative or stain
STEP 4
Use the hammer and nail to make holesin the bottom o each tin can. This willprovide drainage.
Follow the pattern shown above.
STEP 5
Peel o the stickers rom each tin can and usea le to rub away at the sharp edges.
Position the cans at roughly a 40 degree angleto the supports (as in the photo above). Use
two 30mm screws or each tin can to x themin place. Screw through the timber and into thecan. Secure through the drainage holes.
STEP 6
Plant up the Living Spice Rack! Plant herbs andsmall vegetables such as salad leaves, springonions and radishes.
You can remove each row or re-planting byunscrewing the nuts and bolts that support it.
Extra
timber
forsup
port
Facing
planks
-palle
ttop/facing
side
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GROWING
POCKETS
QUICKREFERENCETOOLS
Scissors
Large eyed needle
Tape measure
Dressmaking pins
Hair grips or paper clips
Marker
MATERIALSThree old bags for life
Waterproof backing sheet. Agarden sheet, old tarpaulin, oldshower curtain or raincoat or anywaterproo strong material you wantto use.
Plastic coated string (sold in rolls)or shing wire.
TIME
4-5 Hours
NUMBER OF PEOPLE
COST
0 - 6
designed by Georgia Papadopolou
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STEP 1
Using your scissors, split the reusable bag intotwo by cutting the seams around the bottom othe bag and along both sides.
( (
(
( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (
(
STEP 2
Cut the handles o the bag and cut the threadsthat attach it to the bag.
STEP 3
To make a pocket, place one side o the bag onto a table or fat surace.Draw a square on it with a marker. We recommend that each pocket isabout 25 x 25cm in size.
SPLITALONGSEWNEDGEHERE
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STEP 5
1. Make a Z shaped old on two opposite sides o the square asshown in the diagram. Pin it in place with hairpins. Make sure all theolds are turned away rom ront o the bag.
2. Fold the bottom o the pocket up and back and pin with hair pins.Do the same or all the pockets.
STEP 4
Now draw another, bigger square around the rst one. I t shouldbe about 8cm wider than the rst square all the way round. Cut thelarger square out o the bag.
Once you have measured and cut one pocket use it as a guide to makethe rest. Place it on top o another piece o the bag. Mark around theedge and cut. Lay the pockets out on your plastic backing sheet to seehow many you need to make. For guidance, you can t six pockets ona 1m x 1m garden sheet.
Repeat until you have enough pockets.
1.
2.
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STEP 6
Measure the space where you will hangyour Growing Pockets. Cut the plastic sheetto the size required. We used a 1m x 1mgarden sheet.
STEP 7
Arrange the pockets on the sheet. Make sureyou leave enough space or the plants to grow.Attach them with dressmaking pins to xtheir position.
STEP 8
Start sewing the pockets onto the backing sheet one by one using yourneedle and the plastic string. You need to sew the bottom seam rst.Make sure you remember to tie o the twine with a knot when you havenished sewing each seam.
Allow small holes in the corners or drainage.
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STEP 9
Use two pieces o timber that are not thicker than 3cm. Use screws longenough to go through 2 x timber widths and into the wall (screws that areabout 10cm long should be suitable) .
Sandwich the top edge o the plastic sheet in between the pieces o woodas shown. Hold them together and drill pilot holes through all layers, atopposite ends and in the middle o the timbers. You will need to secure thestructure using correct masonry ttings such as rawl plugs. Insert and tightenthe screws.
Treating the wood will make it last longer outdoors.
TO HANG UP YOUR GROWING POCKETS
TOOLS
Drill and masonry drill bitsand screw driver heads.
Saw
MATERIALS2 lengths of timber (suitable or treatedfor outside use)Rawl plugsMasonry screws
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OUT OF
THE GUTTER
QUICKREFERENCETOOLS
Electric drill
Drill bits
Spanner
Pliers
Crowbar/claw hammer
Wood saw
Vice
MATERIALS
1palletGuttering (approximately 3m long)
8 x Guttering pipe ends
Nuts and bolts
Wood preservative (optional)
8 x 40mm bolts with nuts & washers
2 x 65mm bolts with nuts & washers
OPTIONAL
2 x light chain + 4 screws andwashers (or 1 metre o rope)
TIME
6-8 Hours
NUMBER OF PEOPLE
COST
Cost if using new parts 15-20Cost if made from recycledparts 5
designed by Edward Collet
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STEP 1
Dismantle a standard wooden pallet. Saw planks into two 1m lengthsand two 70cm lengths..
STEP 2
Using a 10mm drill bit, drill a hole 35cm romthe end o the 1m lengths o plank. Lay thetwo planks on top o each other and use anappropriate sized nut and bolt join the twolengths together.
STEP 3
Drill 10mm holes at 20cm intervals along thelength o the joined 1m planks. Undo the nutand bolt and take apart the 1m planks.
35cm
20cm
step 2
step 3
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STEP 4
Using a hacksaw cut guttering into lengths o 70cm. Take the gutter endsand lightly place them in a vice or secure them as securely as possible.Drill one 10mm hole in the top-centre o each o the end pieces. Clip theend pieces to the 70cm gutter lengths.
70cm
STEP 5
Drill one 10mm hole 5cm rom the top o the70cm planks.
STEP 6
Using an appropriate nut and bolt join the 1mplanks to the 70cm planks. This should leaveyou with two V shaped pieces.
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STEP 7
Take the two V shaped pieces and place them 70cm apart. Usingappropriately sized nuts and bolts attach each o the guttering lengthsthrough the 20cm interval holes in the 1m planks.
i
STEP 8
With the rough structure in place screw supporting beams acrossthe top and bottom o the 1m lengths. You could make these romthe pallet too.
To add additional support attach similar supporting beams to the rearo the 70cm legs.
You could also attach chains or rope between the A-Frame to keepit in place.
Crossbeam Chain/Rope
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STACKS OF VEGQUICKREFERENCETOOLS
Wood saw (or jigsaw)
Hammer
A tool bench with clamps willbe useful if you have them.
Drill
Screwdriver
MATERIALSFor the wooden boxes
4 sides of timber planks per box.You could use old scaolding boards,skirting boards or decking. We used150x22x500mm tanalised timber. Alllengths need to be the same lengths andthickness or stacking.
Posts you need some square orrectangular lengths o wood or this. Weused 50x50cm lengths but we think that25x25cm lengths would also work well.Allow or 60cm lengths or each box
Wood glue
50x50cm baseboard or paving slab24 x 2 inch screws for each box
4-9 x 1 inch screws (or other) forattaching the baseboard.
TIME
1 day
NUMBER OF PEOPLE
COST
Under 10
designed by Rachel Forbes
1 person can make this
but its easier with 2
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STEP 1: Make the base box
Take 4 o the side planks and arrange them ina square as shown in the image above. Oneend o each plank should overlap only oneother piece.
Glue the touching aces together and then usescrews to secure them into place. Always drivescrews into the side rather than the end o thetimber to help prevent splitting. Make pilotholes by drilling a hole through the wood thatis thinner than the screw. This will also helpprevent the wood rom splitting.
STEP 2: Secure the base box
Secure your base board to the rame with nails.
Drill between nine and sixteen holes in thebottom or drainage.
Take your 50x50 lengths o timber (or similar)and cut 4 lengths that are 5cm shorter than theheight o the rame
Secure each one to an inside corner with gluerst and then using screws. Screw through theplank and into the post taking care to avoidany other screws already in place.
STEP 3: Make a stack
Make a second rame out o planks in thesame way that you made the rst one.
Take your 50x50cm lengths o timber and thistime, cut 4 lengths that are the same heights asthe rame. Each post should be placed soit sticks above the top o the rame by 5cm.
Secure each post into the corner with glue andscrews as beore.
Turn the rame over and place it upon the basebox as shown.
Repeat this stage to make more stackablelayers or your planter.
STEP 4: Stack it upStack up your planter and repeat the processas many times as you like.
Balance a piece o old glass or Perspex ontop o the stack to encourage seeds and youngplants to grow.
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GROWING
LADDER
QUICKREFERENCETOOLS
Wood saw (or jigsaw)
Screwdriver
Claw hammer
A bradawl, electric screwdriverand drill are useful if you havethem.
MATERIALS1 pallet
4 eyelet screws2 x 40mm length screws
Nails
3 x 750mm hinges
A length of chain
A number of window boxes andplant pots.
2 hooks, nuts and bolts for eachwindow box used.
Course grain sandpaper
TIME
1 day to prepare the wood,1 day to make
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NUMBER OF PEOPLE
COST
Under 10
1 person can make thisbut its easier with 2
designed by Mariam Aomar Perez
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STEP 1: PREPARE THE WOOD
Break down the pallet using a saw andhammer. Take out all the nails and staplesholding it together and give it a goodsand down.
STEP 2: CUT THE WOOD TO SIZE
Take our longer lengths o wood that are allthe same length. As a guide, ours are 110cmlong but you can make your growing ladderany size you like.
Decide how wide you would like the ladder tobe (ours is 50cm wide) and cut a number oshort lengths o wood that are all this length.You can make as many or as ew as you like.As a guide, our ladder has 12 short lengths oneach side.
VARIATION: Use dierent thicknesses o thewood or a more irregular visual eect.
STEP 3: LAY OUT THE WOOD
Place the two long planks o wood on t he ground. Arrange the shortplanks o wood as shown. Make sure they are equally spaced. As aguide, the gaps between our planks are 7cm.
Use a pencil to mark their places along the long pieces o wood.
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STEP 4: NAIL TOGETHER
Nail the structure together.
Try to keep the short pieces as straight as possible.
Two nails xed in a diagonal pattern is more secure.
STEP 6: ATTACH HINGES
Take each o the three hinges and use themto join the two sides o the latter at the topas shown.
Use a drill to make pilot holes beore youinsert and tighten the screws.
Your Growing Ladder should now stand upon its own
STEP 5
Repeat steps two - our so you have two separate ladders. Make sure thesides are the same height and width.
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STEP 7: ATTACH CHAIN
Two lengths o chain attached to both sideso the ladder will make the ladder moresecure. Make sure the chain is xed at thesame distance rom the bottom o the ladderon each side.
Jump to step 12 i you dont want to addshelves to your growing ladder.
STEP 8: PLAN SHELVING
Beore making the shelves, you need to decidehow many you want and where they will go.
Stand the ladder up and measure the distancebetween the outside edges o both sidesor each shel. Add at least 20cm to thismeasurement so that the shel can supportsmall pots.
STEP 9: MAKE THE SHELVES
Cut two lengths o wood using one o your measurements rom step 8.These will be the side panels o your shel.
Measure the width o the sides o the ladder. Cut a number o ladderwidth lengths o wood to attach to the side panels o your shelvesas shown.
Remember to make pilot holes using a drill beore you insert the screws.
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STEP 10: Add shelf supports
To keep the shel secure, you need to turn your shel upside-down andattach two more thin pieces o wood that are the same width as theladder sides.
The supports should line up with the rungs o the shel as shown.
The distance between the supports should be the same as themeasurements you took in step 8 BEFORE you added the extra distanceon or shelves.
STEP 11: Add shelves to ladder
Place your shelves on the rungs o the ladderas shown.
STEP 12: Attach window boxes
For each window box you want to at tach to your ladder you will need2 hooks, 4 short nuts and bolts and 4 thin rectangular pieces o plastic(you could use old milk car tons).
Create holes in the plastic rectangles in the same place as thescrew holes using a nail or bradawl. Attach everything together as
shown above.
Alternatively, you could bolt the window boxes onto a wooden batten(or strip), which would spread their weight.
VARIATION: Pots or growing in can be hooked onto the ladder bysimply attaching hooks to the ladder itsel using screws.
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MILKING IT!
QUICKREFERENCETOOLS
Wood sawTape measureSharp knifePencilScrewdriver
MATERIALSPlastic milk cartonsWood screws 5cm longTimber for the structure (we used
80mm x 30mm lengths)Timber for the milk carton supportrails (use19mm x 38mm lengths)
CompostPlants
TIME
Structure - Approximately 2 hoursPlanting - Depends on the amountof bottles
NUMBER OF PEOPLE
COST
10 plus. Depending on size andwood used.
A NOTE ON WOOD:
Pallets can be used but a longer lasting and largerstructure can be built using FSA approved timber.Roong lath is cheap and readily available from DIYshops, it is ideal for the rails that support the bottles.
Make the most of your space
1 person can make thisbut its easier with 2
designed by Michael Grocock
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STEP 1
Measure the height and width o the space you wish to use then cut o theupright wood to the desired height.
Using the template mark and cut o the end o the diagonal pieceo wood (see A on the diagram above).
Screw the two bits o wood together at the top. Make pilot holes beoreyou insert the screws to stop the wood rom splitting. The diameter o thepilot holes should be slightly smaller than that o the screws that you areusing (see B on the diagram above).
Cut o any excess wood rom the diagonal piece at the top.
Repeat steps the last 3 steps to produce two A rames.
NOTE: Your growing structure should not be more than two times higher thanit is wide and no higher than your eye level. You will have to water the plants!
STEP 2
Measure the distance rom the ront to the backo each A rame 5cm o the ground. Cut twopieces o wood that are this length.
Measure the width o the space you wish to useand cut two pieces o wood to this length.
Screw the 4 pieces together making sure theyare square at the corners.. Remember to makepilot holes rst.
NOTE: Always use at least two screws to stopyour structure rom fexing
A
B
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STEP 3
3a. Fix the base to the two A rames 5cm rom the ground using screws.You could prop up the base with bricks to keep it sturdy.
3b. Cut another piece o wood to the width o your structure and screw justbelow the top o the points but at the rear o the rame.
STEP 4
Turn to ace the back o the rame (the vertical side) and measure rom oneo the top corners to the diagonally opposite bottom corner. Cut a piece owood to ft.
This will brace the structure and should be fxed with three screws.
STEP 5
Your structure should now look like this.
Check that it is stable and fts in the place youwish to put it.
3a
3b
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STEP 6
The diagonal lengths must now be cut to supportthe milk cartons.
Using the template mark out the notches oneby one, placing the bottom let corner o thetemplate in the bottom let o each notch as
you go up.
Repeat this all the way to the top onboth diagonals.
STEP 7
A screw must now be xed into the bottom outercorner o each notch to prevent the bottle supportrails rom slipping out.
The screws should be at least 5cm long andhave 3cm exposed. Making pilot holes rst will
make them easier to screw in..
STEP 8
Use lengths o 38x19mm (2x1) timber to makethe support rails or the milk cartons. Measurethe distance between your two diagonal (andrecently notched) lengths o wood. Count howmany rails youll need to cut.
STEP 9
Using a sharp knie cut the tops o o yourmilk cartons and make sure you do not damagethe handle.
The bottoms o the cartons must be puncturedwith a knie to provide drainage. Try to make
the slits circular to allow the water to drainout properly.
Now thread your cartons on to lengths o woodthat have been cut to the width o your structure.
STEP 10
Your growing structure is now ready or planting.Use smaller cartons towards the top and largerones towards the bottom.
You can remove the support rails one by oneto make planting and caring or your vertical
garden easier.
NOTE: Soil based compost such as John Innesshould be avoided or the larger bottles as itbecomes very heavy when wet.
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PART 4
LOCAL RESOURCES
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WANT TO KNOW MORE?
This section is to help you:
nd materials and plants in a creative and economical way
nd out more about local organisations who will be able tohelp you become a ront garden ood grower
nd more detailed inormation about some o the ideas thatwe have made reerence to in this manual.
Finally, you can use this section to nd out more about theindividuals and organisations who have been involved in thisproject. Where possible, weve provided contact details soyou can get in touch.
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MATERIALS AND PLANTSThis section includes ideas for getting hold of materials and plants to use in your frontgarden. We have avoided listing local shops where you would buy goods at full price but
have focussed on where and how you might be able to source materials cheaply or evenbetter for free! This approach has been inspired by:
You! In part 4 o this manual we wrote about how many local people we talked to were keento save money as t hey began to grow ood at home.
Our experiences building the demonstration gardens (see page 18) where we ound ittricky to transport lots o our building materials in cars and so decided that it would be reallyhelpul to be able to tell people what could be collected, ound and salvaged rom places just ontheir doorsteps.
FREE AND CHEAP SOIL
When we built our demonstration gardens (showcased on pages 18 to 21) we found thatsoils and compost were one of the most expensive and hardest to transport materialsneeded. Here are some tips on how you can get hold of soil and compost near homeand for little cost.
1. LOOK OUT FOR LOCAL BUILDING PROJECTS. Building contractors have to pay todispose o any waste that they take rom a building site. Some contractors are happy or peopleto do this or them as long as its sae to do so. Building contractors oten screen any soil that theyremove rom their building sites to sieve out weeds and rubbish. They usually sell this at a higherprice rom their depots. I you take soil rom any sites, beware o potential contaminants, naturalor unnatural. See our Back to Front worries section or more inormation.
2. DIG IT FOR FREE.Look out or adverts on websites such as Freecycle, Gumtree, or Freegle
and in local papers because sometimes people need a hand shiting and removing soil rom theirgardens. The same warning about potential contamination applies again here.
3. MAKE YOUR OWN. You can make your own soil by composting all your householdpeelings and green waste. Even in a small space, it is possible to have a small compost binmade rom an old paint pot, plastic storage box or bin. See the ollowing websites or moreideas and inspiration:Generalinformationoncomposting-www.rhs.org.ukAguidetomakingacompostheapfromoldpallets-www.gardenersworld.comAbout.comhasdescriptionsofhowtomakeacompostbinfromastorage box and bin.
4. HAVE WORMS DO THE WORK!Worms convert green waste to compost naturally. They
speed up the time it takes to make compost and so are welcome guests in composts heaps.Wormeries are purpose built worm houses. You add your green waste to the wormery and keepthe worms ed and watered. Your reward is ree compost! Wormeries are expensive things tobuy rom the shops but you can make one very cheaply out o old supermarket storage boxes.Chris Beardshaw explains how on YouTube although its better not to use transparent boxes. Morecomprehensive inormation can be ound on an online leafet called How to Make a Wormeryproduced by Milton Keynes Council.
5. CONTACT UNIVERSITY AND LOCAL COUNCIL ESTATES SERVICES. A group o Backto Front members may be able to arrange or excess compost and mulch supplies to be deliveredto a single and easy to access place.
BTCV Leeds (2009) Growing Trends in Inner North East Leeds Summary o discussion held with LCC ocers 17.01.10
You can grow things in;
Animal Feed bags
Baby baths
Boots and shoes
Buckets
Building bags
Carrier bags
Chimney pots
Guttering
Oil drums
Polystyrene packaging
Sinks
Tyres
Washing up bowls
Yoghurt pots
Window boxes
Ideas rom a Back to Front workshopor Tinwol in Headingley, January 2011
Back to Front community group hasthe chance to use some of Leeds CityCouncils2 facilities such as;
1. Letover planters
2. Letover pots and builders bags
3. Seeding acilities at LCC nurseries
4. Collection o items at recycling centresand delivery to a single address withgood access. (A list o items neededwould need to be provided to LCCand arrangements made in good time.All health and saety requirements willneed to be met).
LCC advises that growers are wary whenre-usingwoodasthereisnowaytotellifthe wood has been treated.
Contact the Back to Front communitygroup or more inormation [email protected]
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LOCAL BUSINESSES: A GREAT SOURCE OF FREE GROWING MATERIALS
In February 2011, students from LeedsMetropolitan University surveyed 25 localbusinesses in Harehills and Chapeltown tond out what they threw away. We havelisted some of the materials available andsuggested ways that you could use them inyour garden project.
CARDBOARD: Many businesses throw awayvast amounts o cardboard. You could use thisor killing weeds over winter.
CARPETS: Old carpets are even better than
cardboard or winter weed killing because theyare thicker. Old underlay can also be used toline pots and containers to help protect rootsrom harmul rosts.
CARPET TUBES: These robust tubes aremade rom thick cardboard and are useulor growing deep rooted plants. Carpet tubeswill only last one growing season but are100% recyclable. I you think you might wantto move your carpet tube pot about place it ona piece o board beore you ll it with soil.
GLASS AND OLD WINDOWS: Doubleglazing companies requently throw awayold windows and panes o glass. I youareverycarefulthenyoucanre-usethesematerials to make homemade greenhousesand propagators. This can be most simply doneby laying an old window on top o a raisedbed or pot.
GREEN WASTE: Florists throw away cuttingsrom plants. This can be used to top up yourcompost heap to make a nutritious mix to addto your soil.
LARGE OIL CANS: Take away businessesand restaurants buy oils in large (andsometimes very attractive looking) cans. Thesemake great planters and just need a goodclean and a hole drilling in the bottom.
POLYSTYRENE: Electrical and appliance
shops throw away lots o polystyrene.Polystyrene does not decompose and could beused to make planters with or could be brokenup to provide a drainage layer in the bottomo deep pots and planters. We think its best tobreak up polystyrene indoors as it has a habito spreading everywhere!
TYRES:Garages and mechanics have agood stock o old tyres that they usually throwaway. Tyres provide great opportunities orgrowing just like Suzi and Steve have donein their garden (let).
WIRE:Removals companies dispose owire that could be used to make supports orclimbing plants, much like we have done inour Garden Above Ground (see page 20)
WOODEN PALLETS: These are really useulor building wooden planters and have beenused in a number o our space and moneysaving building projects (see page 32). Buildersyards and shops that trade in heavy goodssuch as kitchen appliances, tile merchants,and plumbers merchants throw away a goodsupply o pallets. It is likely that you will needto break up any pallets you nd with a crowbar and claw hammer so that you can use thewood. Watch out or any staples or nails thatmight be sticking out o the pallet. The suraceo the wood can be much improved by sanding
it down, a job which will be much easier withan electric sander. Pallet wood varies in qualityand is usually untreated and so has a liespano two to our years when let outside andexposed to the elements, or when it is let incontact with the ground. Treating the pallet withwood preserver or paint may help prolong itslie time and will smarten it up a little too (OurOut o the Gutter project on page 44 is agood example o this).
More ideas for nding materials for free
1.Check out Why Waste, a regionalorganisation that stores re-useablebusiness waste like scaffolding boards,containers and oil drums.
2.Check out websites such as Freecycle,Gumtree or Freegle, Scrap Stuff(based in Kirkstall, Leeds) and Seagullsreclaimed paints (also based in Kirkstall).
Tyre planter in Suzi and Steves garden
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PLANTS
Here are our tips for reducing the cost of planting:1. GROW FROM SEED. Seeds are very cheap to buy and there are usually many seeds
in a packet. Growing rom seed is exciting because as the plants grow and thrive, youknow that it was all down to you. Seeds do require extra care and may not be suitableor those o you who have very little time.
2. SHARE YOUR SEEDS. Oten there are too many seeds in a packet and growers nd thatonce the plants grow, theres not enough room or them all in the garden. Why not shareyour seeds with neighbours and riends or go along to one o the seed swapping sessionsthat are springing up as part o other events all around Leeds. Here are some o them:
RoundhayEnvironmentalActionGroupGardeningClubandFarmersMarket.
Please see the REAP website or more details www.reap-leeds.org.uk LeedsSeedCo-op, based in Woodhouse, have a seed swap box
PudseybasedPuLSE (Pudsey Land Share Enterprises) hold monthly growing eventswith seed swaps.
3. WORK WITH LOCAL ALLOTMENT HOLDERS. Local allotment holders may bewilling to donate any spare plants to the Back to Front community group. When we builtour demonstration gardens in June 2010, generous growers supplied all o the plantsthat we needed through the salvage days that we held at Shine in Harehills, a localbusiness and community centre. Timing will be crucial as growers will be potting on theiryoung plants at specic times o the year, most likely between April and June.
4. GO FORAGING.Some common garden plants are actually edible and you dont evenhave to worry about cultivating them. Dandelion shoots, nettles and camomile all haveedible parts to the plant. But we have a very IMPORTANT message here. Please consultan authoritative guide on this subject such as Mabeys Food or Free beore diving in anddining rom overgrown gardens. Unless youre an expert, we strongly recommend thatyou do not pick or eat any mushrooms and fungi. It is almost impossible to tell whichvarieties are poisonous and mistakes can be atal.
Marie-Pierresgarden
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CONTRIBUTIONS
AND CREDITSThe author would like to thank the following people and organisationswho have all helped make this project so successful so far.
All the generous people who have volunteered time and materials to this project:ASHA Leeds:Zaheda KhanmaBTCV Leeds: John Preston, Andrew Tear and Chris EnsorChris Ball: web designerGroundwork Leeds: David Breen, Sean Craven and the youth volunteersIris Leite
Leeds City Council: Jon AndrewsLeeds Metropolitan University
Staff: Robin Brinkworth, Alma Clavin, Peter Griths, Steven Heywood, Greg Keee,Jo Jolley, Emma Oldroyd, Pam Oswin, Alan Stoyle,Students: Liam Clarke, Andrew Tiany, Larni Shaw, Adam Gerrish, Peter Livings, DavidHope, Natasha Coustol, Rosie Cockcrot, Cressida Leipman, Philip Temple, Tom Bliss,KathrynGreen,RobinHutchinson,RachelForbes,MariamAomar-Perez,ArtemBarkhin.Michael Grocock, Edward Collet, Daniel Ridgway, Georgia Papadopolou, MatthewHarby, Ashley Miller, Jessica Dawson, Katie Roberts, Christopher Hartshorne, PatrickHelegwa,AdamLeigh-Brown
Local Government Group: Martin Seymour and Tess GoolNHS Leeds: Stephanie Jorysz, Zaheda Khanma, Shak Raq, Dawn Smallwood, Roxana Summers
Niels CoreldNicki Algar:graphic designerNorma ThompsonOur Back to Front demonstration gardenersPuLSE (especially Mark, Suzi and Steve)Shaun Chatterton:web programmerShine, Harehills (especially, Dawn, Gayle and Todd)The Permaculture Association, Leeds (especially Harriet)
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INFORMATION AND RESOURCESWant to nd out more? Weve referred tothis informati