The short answer is YES you can!
Believe it or not, I have moved house 11 times in the last 8 years… crazy, I know! All these moves have been between rentals properties, and each time I moved, the same internal battle took place. It would go a little something like this:
‘I know I’m not going to be here forever, but I really want to have some kind of garden.’
‘What happens when I need to move again? Will my next house have enough space?’
‘What will my landlord think? Do I need to ask them? What if they say no?’
‘How much money should I spend on something that I may not be able to take to my next house?’
‘Maybe I’ll just wait until I have my own place…’
This happened every single time. I would move in, debate with myself about the who, what, when, where, why and how, and come to the conclusion that for me, a house is simply not a home without a garden. A garden gives me such a sense of place and purpose, and I really wanted to keep learning and growing my skills.
What type of vegetable garden should I create?
Some of the houses I have lived in had teeny tiny court yards with tricky shading issues, while others offered more space to try some more expansive garden options. One of the most challenging things I found was deciding on what kind of garden I was going to set up. With so many options and endless information out there about the ‘best’ type of garden, I thought it would be a good idea to try some out for myself.
This allowed me to gain experience in setting up container gardens, in-ground gardens, no-dig gardens, straw-bale gardens, raised bed gardens and indoor herb gardens, I learnt that they all have their pros and cons. So, I’m not here to tell you what the ‘best’ type of garden is, my goal is to give you the information to make an informed decision for your situation.
What are the benefits of starting a vegetable garden?
There are SO many benefits to having a garden. The main ones I’ve found for me and my family include:
- Nutrient dense food – we really value nutrition, and having fresh, organic, nutritious food growing in our own back yard doesn’t get more nutrient dense than that.
- Sense of place and purpose – a garden really makes a house feel like a home, even if it’s not your forever home.
- Less reliance on external food systems – we don’t strive to be ‘self-sufficient’, however we do feel that it is important increase resilience and reduce reliance on a potentially unreliable and increasingly harmful food system.
- Mental and emotional wellbeing – gardening has known benefits for improving mental and emotional health. My study in Therapeutic Horticulture really reinforced this and I definitely feel the benefits of getting out in the garden daily.
- Learn new skills – my love of learning goes way back, probably all the way back to my beautiful Granny. One of my key values is to ‘never stop learning’, and trust me, you are constantly learning in the garden.
Get your vegetable garden started today
Whether you’re interesting in growing all your own veggies, supplementing your weekly grocery shop, or just want some fresh herbs to add to your dinners, you really can start right where you are.
Check out my blog posts of the various types of gardens you can create to get growing today!
Don’t forget to subscribe below to be the first to get new gardening content straight to your inbox.
