Kim explains how time and money can be saved by questioning whether some of the more traditional tasks and techniques work for you and your garden
My experiences attempting to garden entirely for free for the Guardian newspaper more than a decade ago changed the way that I garden forever. I had to politely put aside the conventional gardening ‘rule book’ of the time in order to figure out how to get away without spending a single penny on my outside space. As an entrepreneurial type, I loved the challenge and relished in the idea of finding ways to not be reliant on buying the myriad products and plants that I previously felt obliged to splash out on.
Freeing myself from this financial obligation felt incredibly empowering, and although I enjoy spending some money on my garden again now, the ability to question what I do (and don’t) need is incredibly useful. The experience gave me the confidence to question whether certain things actually made sense, and to experiment with different ways of growing plants and undertaking certain practices. This approach has led to some of my greatest discoveries and turned my garden into a wildlife-laden playground rich with constantly evolving ideas and inspiration.
Making your garden work for you
It may sound obvious, but even with today’s increased awareness of the benefits of gardening organically, all too often there is still a ‘one size fits all’ mentality. Yet no two gardens are the same and there are a myriad different factors that inform individual differences and best practices. The key is to look, listen and learn from your outside space, to see what works and what doesn’t so that you can sow, plant, prune and harvest in a way tailored to meet your needs.
Challenging weather only fuels the need for individual and communityfocused thinking around how we garden to help shore up our defences. What works well in a sunny south-facing garden in the South East is unlikely to transfer to where I am in the high hills of West Wales - and believe me, I’m speaking from experience!
There are opportunities amid the challenges if you make the time to tune into your sense of place and practice.
I’ve always gardening organically as it never made any sense to me not to do so. When I started, this was considered somewhat novel, strange even, but my adventures in low-cost gardening taught me the value and great enjoyment of thinking on one’s feet to make the best use of materials and natural wisdom already to hand.
Questions to ask right now
■ Do I have room inside to pot on seedlings to enable them to become bigger and stronger before planting out in this topsy-turvy weather?
■ Should I succession sow plants a little more this year to boost the chances of success?
