Many people dream of a large self-sufficient garden, especially in view of all the food scandals of recent years, pesticides in fruit and vegetables, etc. Don't just dream, just do it - we'll show you how best to do it.

Who doesn't dream of being able to feed themselves from their own garden?

Table of Contents

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  1. the essentials in brief
  2. Planning a self-sufficient garden
  3. Create a self-sufficient garden
  4. annual planning
  5. frequently asked Questions

    6. the essentials in brief

    • In order to provide yourself almost completely with fruit and vegetables, the garden should be at least 100 square meters - per person eating. There is also space for fruit trees and bushes.
    • A kitchen garden needs a full sun location and loose, humus-rich soil. The humus content can be increased with compost, rotting stable manure and green manure.
    • Good planning is essential throughout the gardening year: cultivating plants, sowing and planting, mixed and subsequent crops, harvesting and preparing supplies, collecting seeds for next year, gardening and tree care, etc.
    • Always grow more vegetables and fruit than you consume - after all, being self-sufficient, you have to stock up for the winter.

    Planning a self-sufficient garden

    But before you run straight into the garden and plant beds there, sit down at the kitchen table with a piece of paper and a pen. Good planning is the be-all and end-all for a self-sufficient garden, so that you can actually grow and harvest the right (i.e. required) quantity of the fruit and vegetables you want. In addition, there should be no idle times in which beds remain empty - if they could still be planted instead. In addition to quantity planning, planting planning is also important, in which you determine sensible mixed and subsequent crops and thus ensure optimal use of the area.

    How big should the garden area be for self-catering?

    If you want to take care of yourself completely from your own garden, you need at least 100 square meters of space per person

    The most important question at the beginning is: How large does the garden area have to be so that you and your family can feed yourself with it? There are different answers to this, all depending on what exactly your purpose is and how much time you have.

    degree of self-sufficiency size of the garden area
    almost entirely from our own garden at least 100 square meters per person, plus areas for fruit trees and bushes
    mostly from their own garden approx. 75 square meters per person, plus space for fruit trees
    partly from our own garden approx. 50 square meters per person, plus space for fruit trees
    only certain vegetables and fruits as much space as is required for the cultivation of the desired vegetables and fruits (can also just be the balcony…)

    So if you don't want to buy fruit and vegetables or only want to buy very little, the garden should be 400 square meters for a family of four - plus the areas under cultivation for fruit trees and bushes. While the shrubs can also be planted very well along fences, trees take up a lot of space.

    A large apple tree alone needs an area of around 50 square meters - half-trunk or columnar forms, of course, less. A half-trunk apple needs about 25 to 30 square meters. Sweet cherries and walnut trees, on the other hand, are real space robbers, as both species can grow very large and wide and require a corresponding amount of space. The following table gives you an overview of the space requirements of the different types of fruit:

    type of fruit Space requirement in square meters
    apple, standard 50 to 60
    Apple, half stem 25 to 40
    pear, standard 50
    Pear, half stem 20 to 40
    blackberry 6 to 10 (depending on growth habit)
    hazelnut 20 to 50 (depending on variety and growth habit)
    raspberry 6 to 10 (depending on growth habit)
    currant 6 to 10 (depending on growth habit)
    plum 40 to 50
    peach 30 to 50
    quince 50 to 60
    sour cherry 40 to 50
    gooseberry 6 to 10 (depending on growth habit)
    sweet cherry 80 to 100
    walnut 80 to 100

    The space specifications may seem exaggerated at first glance, but are actually rather tight. Consider that with age, a fruit tree can grow very tall, and most importantly - wide - then space is necessary. Also think carefully about whether you want to plant tall or short trees, both have their advantages and disadvantages. While short-stemmed shrubs are easier to harvest and cut, taller ones are usually healthier and last longer - even if you then need a ladder for the apple harvest. If you plan to mow the meadow under the fruit trees regularly, tall varieties are recommended - otherwise mowing, especially with a ride-on lawn mower, will be difficult.

    Which types of vegetables are particularly productive?

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    Which fruits and vegetables you grow in your garden depends primarily on your taste and that of your family. However, if you are self-sufficient, you should make sure that you also cultivate sufficient quantities of varieties that are suitable for preserving, drying and storing. In order to determine your needs, first write down for a few weeks what fruit and vegetables you buy every day in what quantities in the supermarket - and then plan the area under cultivation. Don't forget the winter months, because the fruits you need then have to be planted or harvested in summer.

    It is also important to know that most types of fruit and vegetables have early, medium and late ripening types. The early varieties usually do not keep very long and must be used up or processed quickly. On the other hand, many late-ripening vegetables and fruits can be stored well. After harvesting, they should be kept cool and dark - for example in a storage cellar or in a heap. Particularly important in the self-sufficient garden are high-yielding varieties with which you can bring in a large harvest.

    Under no circumstances should:

    • Fruit vegetables such as zucchini, squash and cucumbers
    • Tomatoes, peppers and chili - especially in the greenhouse!
    • Root vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, horseradish, beetroot
    • Various types of cabbage (white and red cabbage, savoy cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, etc.)
    • Salads (pick lettuce, cut lettuce, Asian salads, lettuce, winter salads such as lamb's lettuce, etc.)
    • Legumes such as beans (runner beans, pole beans) and peas (mangetout and split peas)
    • onions and garlic
    • potatoes
    • optionally corn and other specialties such as physalis, Jerusalem artichoke, tomatillo (depending on taste and personal preferences)

    Important for self-catering: aromatic and medicinal herbs from your own garden

    Herbs are tasty, healthy and keep pests away

    Fresh herbs for seasoning in the kitchen and for healing purposes are also indispensable for self-sufficient people - for example, if your throat is sore and a sage tea should help. You can grow these in an extra herb bed - the individual species sorted according to their preferences in terms of location and soil - or in mixed cultures in the vegetable bed. Some herbs are also very suitable for edging beds, as their strong scent keeps many pests away. Varieties such as lavender, sage and basil are particularly suitable for this purpose.

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    How much time should you plan for gardening?

    What you must not forget when planning a self-sufficient garden: Such a garden is a lot of work all year round! On average, you should plan around half an hour to an hour of work per day for a garden of around 500 square meters, although the time required also depends on what needs to be done. For everyday tasks such as watering, hoeing, weeding, you can do quite well with this information.

    However, when it comes to work such as creating beds, planting and sowing, harvesting and preserving, then you can be busy for days. Even in winter there are still activities left, for example because you are already busy preparing the plants for the new season, pruning the fruit trees, etc. from January. It is therefore important to work continuously in the garden.

    Create a self-sufficient garden

    Now that you have determined the garden area you need and the vegetables you want to grow, you can get to work. But before that, a tip: If you are new to the garden, you should not start with a large area - even if it is tempting. Start small, perhaps with just one bed at first. As you gain experience and gradually grow your garden year after year, you are more likely to actually stick with it. However, if you start with a huge area (possibly with little experience in the garden), frustration is quickly there and with it the risk of ending the project over it.

    The optimal location and the right garden soil

    In order for the plants in your kitchen garden to grow and taste good, they need sun - and as much of it as possible. Optimum growth is ensured when

    • the beds are as sunny and sheltered as possible
    • the location is airy but sheltered from the wind and warm
    • the soil is loose and well drained
    • but can still store water (clay content!)
    • and has a high humus content

    Now, of course, not everyone has such a garden floor. However, you can improve your particular conditions by adding mature compost and sowing cover crops - mainly legumes as they increase soil nitrogen - in the fall. These measures are also necessary to preserve areas that are intensively used for horticulture. These forms of natural fertilization improve soil life and thus increase the humus content in the soil.

    Create beds and paths

    Now you can create the beds and paths. The best way to do this is to make a plan by transferring the existing area to scale onto a piece of paper and then drawing in the corresponding areas. The illustration shows you a suitable example of such planning:

    Ideally:

    • vegetable beds are no wider than 1.30 meters
    • this makes it easier to edit them because you can easily reach all the places
    • Are they rectangular or square?
    • this is also used for easier processing
    • between them run paths that are stamped and secured with bark mulch etc
    • small paths should be at least 60 centimeters wide
    • Main paths at least one meter (so that you can easily get everywhere with a wheelbarrow)

    Don't forget the greenhouse and the tool shed. Both should be as close to the house as possible, but also not too far away from the vegetable garden and easily accessible via wide paths. Make sure none of the buildings cast a shadow on the vegetable patches. The fruit trees may be placed furthest away - ideally in a meadow orchard, which is also good for a large number of useful insects and birds.

    A must in any self-sufficient garden: the compost heap

    The compost heap is a must for any self-sufficient garden

    The compost heap should also not be missing, because on the one hand there is a lot of garden and kitchen waste with self-sufficiency, which should be disposed of as naturally as possible and on the other hand you gain a valuable ecological fertilizer for your garden in this way. It makes sense not just to throw the waste in a heap, but to plan the composting sensibly:

    • Choose a semi-shady location, preferably covered by bushes and trees.
    • This should be as close as possible to the house and the flower beds.
    • So you don't have too far to go from the kitchen or from the beds.
    • Use several composters that you can build yourself out of wood, for example.
    • This way you can get different types of compost.
    • Euro pallets are very suitable for this purpose.
    • However, the soil should remain open so that the soil organisms that are important for the formation of humus can get into the compost.

    It is also important that the compost heap is easy to reach via a wide, well paved path - and that you have enough space there to be able to use a shovel and wheelbarrow.

    digression

    Which garden tools do you need in a self-sufficient garden?

    The market for garden tools is huge, so it's no wonder that newcomers tend to lose track of things. Above all, the following equipment is absolutely necessary: spade, digging fork, shovel, rake(s), rake, hoe(s), weed puller, secateurs and pruning shears in various sizes, ax or hatchet, watering cans, buckets (preferably plastic or enamel), Wheelbarrow(s) and a lawn mower (if there is a lawn) or a scythe (if there is a lawn). Last but not least, a ladder should not be missing. If there are tall fruit trees, a fruit picker is also very practical, as it saves you from having to climb up and down the ladder all the time.

    The self-sufficient garden all year round

    Incidentally, the first plants you should plant in your self-sufficient garden are fruit trees and shrubs. This is to be done as soon as possible. These shrubs need a few years after planting before they bloom for the first time and you can harvest. This section shows you how to plan further through the gardening year.

    Mixed culture prevents disease and pest infestation

    Onions protect strawberries from pests

    In a self-sufficient garden, a well thought-out mixed culture in the beds is recommended. This means that you don't plant every bed with just one type of vegetable, but rather combine plants that harmonize particularly well. These fuel each other's growth and keep pests and pathogens away from each other. In addition, such a mixed culture offers the advantage that plant-specific diseases do not spread - unlike in monocultures, where the entire harvest is then at risk. But be careful: Not all plant species get along with each other, which is why you have to plan such a planting carefully.

    Clever crop rotation for high yields and a long growing season

    Some vegetable plants have a very long cultivation period, others ripen faster and are therefore harvested faster. Here, too, clever planning ensures that the bed does not remain empty after the harvest of faster-ripening vegetables, but continues to be used. It is therefore a good idea to start with fast-growing varieties - such as radishes, spinach, lettuce, etc. - in the spring, and plant somewhat slower plants in the bed after they have been harvested (especially those that are only outside from mid to late May anyway). like courgettes and other cucurbits) and finally ending the year with fast-growing vegetables or late-sowing winter varieties (beets and other root vegetables, late cabbages, etc.). But the same applies here: Not all types of vegetables harmonize with each other.

    First aid against pests and plant diseases: healing from nature

    "There are no chemicals in a self-sufficient garden - everything you need comes from nature without any side effects!"

    The self-sufficiency garden is primarily about independence. Of course, this also extends to fertilization, pest control and plant protection. For this you do not need any supposed chemical miracle cures, but can trust completely in the forces of nature:

    • Compost, manure and autumn greenseed as ecological fertilizers
    • Naturally designed garden in which all kinds of useful animals feel at home
    • many insects, birds, hedgehogs, shrews, lizards, frogs and toads help with pest control
    • Homemade manure made from nettles, tansy, field horsetail, etc. can be used very well against plant diseases
    • Garlic and onion - for example as extracts - also help against diseases and pests

    Furthermore, think about when you put which plants where - well thought-out mixed and subsequent cultures also help to keep the garden plants healthy and not to provide any points of attack for pests in the first place. Balanced fertilization and watering do the rest.

    Obtain seeds and raise young plants

    A few plants (here lettuce) should not be harvested so that they form seeds

    In the garden, the new vegetation period starts very early, because the first vegetable plants must be brought forward from January, but no later than February and March.Many fruiting vegetables, which are only allowed to be planted in May due to their sensitivity, or varieties that have a long germination phase, should be sown early. Depending on the type of vegetable and the time of sowing, there are different ways of doing this:

    • in the indoor greenhouse / on the windowsill in the house
    • in the cold frame / under glass
    • in the bed under foil

    The best way to find out when you can sow which vegetables is from the seed bags of the selected varieties. Eventually, over time, you will also know when the seeds you have collected yourself are put into the bed. By the way: Not all vegetables are suitable for growing, some should be put straight into the bed. This includes many root vegetables such as carrots and radishes, but also fast-growing, hardy vegetables such as spinach.

    tips

    If you sow or prefer vegetables, do not sow all the seeds at once. Instead, sow the planned carrots / radishes / kohlrabi etc. at a slightly different time so that not all vegetables are ready to be harvested at the same time.

    harvesting and preservation

    If you want to be self-sufficient, you have to stock up. Therefore, you should always grow as many fruits and vegetables as you need for the winter

    • boil down: Vegetables and fruit that cannot be stored for a long time
    • dry: Herbs, dried fruit and dried vegetables
    • freeze: suitable for almost all types of vegetables, herbs and fruit, but very energy-intensive
    • or to store: many late vegetables and fruits such as potatoes, carrots, apples, pumpkins

    be able. Keep in mind that it takes a lot of space for a sensible storage. A cool, dark and dry cellar is best for this. Some vegetables can also be stored in soil heaps, especially potatoes, cabbage and root vegetables. It is best to pay attention to the appropriate shelf life when choosing the variety - not all potato or apple varieties can be stored for a long time in this way.

    The self-sufficient garden in winter

    This informative article shows the great tips that self-sufficient Rigotti has for a harvest in winter.

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    frequently asked Questions

    What do self-sufficient people actually eat in winter?

    Quite simply: what is still to be harvested in the garden or the stocks built up during the summer. In this respect, it is important to plan well and grow enough vegetables and fruit that you can still cook and freeze them. Some vegetables such as parsnips, Brussels sprouts etc. can still be harvested fresh in the winter months - as long as it is not too cold and you have planted / sown them in good time. Good planning is everything in a self-sufficient garden! And what is still missing or does not grow in your own garden, you can still buy in the supermarket.

    Can I actually provide myself with vegetables from my balcony?

    Of course, almost any vegetable can also be grown on the balcony, so that with good planning and care you can also bring in a rich harvest here. In addition to the obligatory tomatoes and cucumbers, peppers, physalis, lettuce, radishes, mangetout (short varieties!) and French beans are particularly suitable for balcony cultivation. Courgettes also grow well here, provided the plant pot is large enough and you water it vigorously several times a day. However, there is not enough space for complete self-sufficiency.

    What do I do when the weather is bad and the harvest threatens to fail?

    Here, too, good planning helps to prevent crop failures due to a possibly rainy summer. Some types of vegetables should be grown in a greenhouse from the outset or, if grown outdoors, protected by a canopy, for example. This includes, for example, tomatoes, which like to perish outdoors due to late blight. But cucumbers and peppers also feel better in the greenhouse. Less sensitive plants such as the various types of cabbage are recommended for outdoor use.

    However, failures due to bad weather cannot be completely avoided. Heavy rain and hail can still destroy entire harvests. However, even after such an event, you still have the option of being able to harvest by subsequently planting or sowing (fast-growing) vegetables.

    Help, snails eat my vegetables - what helps?

    Ravenous snails are every gardener's worst enemy, as they eat up the entire garden in no time at all. However, no slug pellets (7.49€) help against this, but more sensible, non-toxic measures such as a slug fence around the beds, coarse mulch material on the beds and the targeted settlement and promotion of snail-eating animals such as birds, hedgehogs, shrews and tiger slugs. They keep the stock of slugs constantly low so that there is still enough lettuce and co. left over for the harvest.

    tips

    If you want to harvest potatoes in June, you should choose early varieties and plant them from February, but no later than March.

Category:

Vegetable garden