Food4wealth

Yesterday I went to an open evening at Sarah Innes' allotment in Wanstead where she has started experimenting with the "Food4Wealth" (dreadful name!) system of food growing.

This method is for use in small spaces - allotments and gardens - rather than small holdings which Permaculture seems geared towards. It involves setting up some beds with layers of newspaper, hay, compost, straw and earth (unless you have some good deep beds already.). Crops are mixed, more closely spaced than normal, and the beds are not rotated. Perennial vegetables and ones that seed themselves are encouraged.  After setting up it is claimed it takes only hours per year to maintain the system.

I have signed up to join Sarah's google group"fun and ease in sustainable gardening", as she hopes others will join her experiment and share ideas, successes and failures. 

I don't intend to follow the system myself, but develop the way I am working my garden already.

As a result of my visit I intend next year to get some perennial kale, and experiment with carrots scattered randomly in the beds. Sarah also reminded us that carrots were originally grown for their tops, their roots were a later development, so that's an addition to my salads. I might also try spring onions, but have had problems with germination the last few years.