You don’t need more space. You need more courage.
GUEST POST BY NICOLA CHATHAM.
I remember when I realised I needed to grow my own organic food in order to heal my health. I had visions of row after row of garden beds, overflowing with plants of all descriptions. I saw an edible smorgasbord where I could simply walk through the orchard and pick a little bit of this and a little bit of that.
An apple, a banana, then maybe a mango to wash it down.
I thought I’d grow carrots and onions and sweet potatoes. I thought I’d harvest paw-paw and green beans all before breakfast.
I thought I’d need acres of land to accommodate my vision.
I look back now and giggle. What a lot I didn’t know. What a lot I was afraid of. What a lot of work I’d envisioned for myself.
The reality has been quite different. I won’t say very different, because the essence of that vision has come true, but the finer details are not what I expected. I now live on 1.5acres in the country and this is how my vision’s turned out…
How much time do I spend actually ‘gardening’?
About two days every three months.
How much land do I use to grow my organic food?
The veggie patch is only 15m2 and the orchard is more like 700m2. Most of the food comes from the veggie patch. Only when the fruit trees are in season does the orchard feel (sometimes overly!) productive.
How much food do I grow?
More than enough to provide 70% of my fresh food for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
But do you know what’s ironic?
When I lived in a small rental house in the city I grew enough leafy greens and herbs to go with most of my meals. I just grew them in pots down my back-steps. I didn’t need more space. I needed the courage to believe what I had could work for me.
I needed courage to begin. I needed courage to fail. I needed courage to turn problems into solutions. I needed courage to educate myself as I went along.
That’s what you need, too, Wellness Warrior. A sip of bravery, a dash of courage and a slurp of curiosity to begin growing your own organic food.
Gardening is an adventure. It sets you up to feel empowered about your food. Empowered about the difference you’re making to the earth. Empowered and inspired by the interaction you have with nature.
Organic gardening can help heal your health (it’s helped heal mine!) and heal the earth.
No matter how big or small our yard or balcony. You can grow at least some of your own organic food. We just need the courage to begin.
Just add courage.
How about you, Wellness Warrior? How have you made the most of the space you have? Do you have a few herbs in pots? Share in the comments below your experience with growing even just some of your own food.
PLUS, if you have any questions about growing organic food in the space you have, please feel free to ask for tips in the comments below.
Thanks so much for reading. I truly hope you’re feeling inspired to be courageous with whatever space you have. If you’ve enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends by clicking ‘like’ and ‘retweet’.
With love,
Nicola
XOXO
CHECK OUT THIS FREE TRAINING VIDEO FROM NICOLA:
Author bio: Nicola Chatham is the creator of online gardening courses The Abundant Veggie Patch System and Grow Organic Food in Pots, and author of The Sprouter’s 2013 Organic Gardening Planner & Calendar. An organic gardening teacher, inspirational speaker, certified Permaculture designer & contemporary artist, she writes weekly at NicolaChatham.com where beginner gardeners go for her practical advice and inspiration. Click here to get your free Quick & Easy Veggie Patch Kit including her much-loved weekly newsletter Sprout!
You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter @nicolachatham.com
Positive affirmation for the day: I am courageous.
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POSTED IN: gardening, Nicola Chatham, organic gardening, veggie patch
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This is so funny, I was just looking into getting some organic gardening going. I live in an apartment and I found this super cool company where they come to your house and help you set up your own organic garden. Yes I’m nervous – I’ve always been bizarrely bad with plants. Thanks for the inspiration! PS If any readers live in Montreal the company is called urbanseedling.com [I'm not affiliated with them]. Cheers!
That’s cool you’re keen to start growing some of your own organic food, Michele 
You’ll be amazed how much you can actually grow in a small space!!!
If you want some tips about how to get started, you may like this post about a potted garden I set up for my mum. It’s currently thriving and gives her tonnes of satisfaction (and organic food!): http://www.nicolachatham.com/a-small-potted-garden-to-support-my-mum-with-chronic-fatigue-a-grow-organic-food-in-pots-case-study/#
LOVE this post! I have a have a few small pots and really need to step it up and add more to my balcony and not let the fear that I could possibly kill them hold me back! Thanks Nicola xx
That’s awesome Jessica. Yep, embrace the fear and have fun with it.
~ you’re so welcome xx
Ah yess– it is so healing to water your own plants, pick them, shine your love on them, and have them enter your beautiful body 
Have some mint, basil, chives, cilantro, thyme, and some other goodies on my apartment balcony! xxx
Hi Nicole,
Thanks for your inspiring post. I’m in the south of france, it’s 1am and I have finally decided instead of dreaming about the organic garden I will have one day. I’m going to make the most of every centremetre of
my large window ledge and finally grow some rocket and parsley. I have not had luck with parsley in the past and it’s my first time growing rocket (arugula). Any tips? x
Hi Michele!
Yep – you’re welcome to check out my tips for growing in pots here http://www.nicolachatham.com/courses/5-secrets/
And also check over my blog by searching ‘Grow Organic Food in Pots Case Study” in Google.
The main 3 things are to put them where they will get maximum sunshine, use premium organic potting mix (even better if you can make your own or add some fresh compost or worm castings) and don’t let them dry out ~ watering every two days will probably be suitable for you if they’re indoors and in France.
Embrace your dream and make it a reality now ~ it’s totally worth it! xx
Well, I get frustrated because I live in the gap Brisbane, and possum’s eat all my herbs. So it makes me feel stuck. But you know what I’m going to put in sweet potatoes after reading this, in the front garden, just have to dig up the soil a little.
So good to see more and more people growing health.
Thanks Nicola and Jess. I grow herbs in pots near our back door. I also have a couple of half wine barrels that I grow spinach, celery, spring onions and lettuce in. The rest of my veges are bought from the farmers market and they’re organic. I’m thinking of buying a couple more wine barrels so I can grow a bit more. xxoo
Hi there, the link to “Click here to get your free Quick & Easy Veggie Patch Kit including her much-loved weekly newsletter Sprout!” didn’t work but is it possible to have this reposted so I can click?
Also, would love to do veggies but have 5 chickens – any advice on how best to do this, with keeping them away from eating/digging it all up?
Samantha » Hi Samantha, sorry! It’s fixed now. You can sign up here: http://www.nicolachatham.com/ x
Hi Wellness Warriors!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this post
You can score my latest FREE training video showing you “The 5 Secrets to an Abundant, Organic Veggie Patch” right now.
It’s in celebration of the current season of my online gardening course, The Abundant Veggie Patch System. You’ll learn how to set your garden on auto-pilot so it practically grows without you, how to design your garden so it’s low-maintenance and a bunch of other practical tips to set your garden up for abundance this year. Enjoy!!! xxx
Hi Samantha!
Great question about your chickens. Basically, you’ll need to fence off either your coup or your garden to ensure they don’t get in there.
Or, some people design clever chicken coups that have ‘runs’ where you can let your girls out to forage, weed, fertilise and dig over the soil, then redirect them into another area before you plant out that run with the next crop of veggies. You can get a glimpse of one in action here: http://www.permacultureglobal.com/posts/947
The design can mean instead of fighting your chickens, trying to keep them away, you can allow them to play in the rotating sections and actually help you in the garden by weeding, fertilising and preparing the soil for you.
Opps ~ my spelling should be ‘coop’ instead of ‘coup’ xx
Great post! I love my garden, i recently went overseas for a few months and I missed it so much! I have three big veggies beds which do us well, also two chooks which provide eggs in the morning for baby wombat! We have recently ventured in to “Aquaponics” it is a greta system in which you dont use soil, and no extra water supply is needed to grow the veggies, also if you eat fish you can grow them and harvest them. a great sustainable way of growing and eating! XX
That sounds super cool Anna! I’ve seen amazing growth in Aquaponics systems. My friend’s tomatoes where MASSIVE!
Keep playing and having fun with your garden
Hi Nicola,
I did your course online and now enjoy making my green smoothies from greens from my very own potted garden! I just making some risotto for lunch with herbs l grew myself…..there is nothing quite like it!
Yay Andrea ~ stories like yours make my heart sing.
That’s so awesome you’re making green smoothies from your own garden. It’s SUCH an amazing, soul-satisfying feeling, isn’t it? Not to mention awesome for your health.
Congratulations! xx
The garden images in this blog is my idea of heaven!!
Great post –really make me think what a full circle I have come – I grew up in the middle of nowhere on a farm in Western Australia (like 7 hours north of a capital city middle of nowhere) and I remember in my teens I just itched to move into the city.
Fast forward several (or fifteen)..years and now instead of dreaming about cool cafes, shopping and lattes, I am dreaming of a beautiful property where I can have an abundant vege/fruit and herb garden scattered with a few chickens and maybe a bee hive thrown in for good measure!!
Much to my boyfriends dismay, I have turned my Sydney apartment balcony into a trial and error vege garden. Error where the poor things either die, get bugs or in my overgrown tomatoes case.. fail to fruit. Even so it has given me so much joy to be able to sit outside in the mornings with a cuppa, and I am pleased to report that the fatality rate of my plants have dramatically decreased!
Congratulations on creating your own slice of “urban countryside” on your balcony It sounds like lots of fun and it’s great you’ve found your fatality rate has dramatically decreased!
Well done! x
Hi Nicola,
I’ve recently started growing my own organic herbs & tomatoes (hoping to expand to veggies soon!) but I’ve not seen much growth with my rosemary. I’ve heard from so many people that it grows out of control but mine doesn’t seem to have grown at all after three months. It’s surviving but not growing – do you have any tips? I live in South Australia.
Thanks!
I have just bought a new house with a huge garden so am excited to start my own organic fruit and vege haven. i do have a couple of quiestions for you…
1) What do you use to repel bugs and other nasties?
2) Are there any flowers that are good to grow near the fruit/vege plants?
Thanks
This post is really exciting for me! I have been thinking lately of getting a veggie patch but as you said – have been too scared to dive in. I bought a small plant to test out my skills with and so far so good. This post is great inspiration! Dream of picking my own lettuce for my juices. Thank you heaps, Nicola!! xo
Thanks Nicola! and sorry for spellling your name wrong. I was a little over excited when I wrote last night. I will check out the blog you suggested and let you know how I go;)
This is SO true! You’ve really opened up my eyes and realization that we only need a small space and pots to grow amazing, organic, healthy food that nourishes our soul!
I’ve started planting tomatoes and basil and realized HOW easy it is!
You’re awesome. Thanks gorgeous!
Thank you Nicola for inspiring me to have the courage to begin my own garden of food on my balconies!
I will be starting this weekend
Beautiful and empowering and just crazy that this isn’t the ‘norm’ really!
xx
I had an allotment for many years, but due to adverse weather conditions, theft and working 6 days a week I eventually had to give it up. I have a very minimal garden at home and have just started the herbs in pots on the windowsil – my husband hates it as he is the minimal one whereas I am the squirel who collects everything! I am looking for some way to convert the garden a bit but it will have to be very neat and tidy to keep the husband happy………!
HI Nicola,
Your article has re inspired me to explore balcony gardening1 I currently have basil and thyme growing and am really interested in growing some leafy greens for my morning juice. I buy organic from the local healthfood store, which I am so grateful for but does add up! Do you have any tips for growing Kale or rainbow Chard?
p.s previous comment sent before I could say…thanks!
There is a fantastic book also called ‘The Edible Balcony’ by Indira Naidoo. It has info for any novice on seasonal planting advice, how to care for certain vegies, recipes that match what you grow and tips on setting up a ‘vegie patch’ in an urban environment…x