Whether you’re into prepping, food security or you want to have a few fresh herbs and vegetables on hand for cooking, it only takes a little space to grow what you want. In this article I will show you how I’ve turned a 22 square foot area into a backyard garden that has produced lettuce, tomatoes, basil, broccoli, carrots and celery.
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In the Spring of 2024, I decided to make a garden in my backyard. I wanted the garden to have drip irrigation and I didn't want it to be too big. I decided to use cinder block to form the perimeter of the garden. I purchased 14 cinder blocks and sealed them for water.
The cinder blocks I used are simple in design and appearance. More aesthetic blocks could have been chosen but I decided that a basic look would suffice.
After deciding on the location where this would all go in my yard, I dug a small trench in the ground for the cinder blocks. I completely eyeballed the depth, using the blocks to measure and adjust.
Next, I ran drip irrigation with emitters into the garden area. I made sure to provide irrigation to every part, front to back and left to right. I simply tapped into my existing irrigation line and ran the emitters to the desired area. The entire garden now gets watered on a timer.
After installing the irrigation, I placed the cinder blocks into the trench. This will help to make sure the blocks will stay in place. Only the bottom portion of the blocks sit in this trench. The remaining portion sticks up and this is intentional.
There are five blocks that run across the front and back and two blocks on each side. It looks like a rectangle and has an area of about 22 square feet. Next, I filled the area in with soil and compost. I picked soils that will provide nutrients for a variety of vegetables and herbs I like to grow.
I like to grow from seed. It’s important to store seeds properly so they will germinate. I have found that storing them inside my home in a shoebox on the shelf does just fine. I have heard that refrigeration is not good for seeds and I’ve had problems getting seeds to germinate after being refrigerated. When it’s time to plant, I retrieve my seeds from their location, open the shoebox and find what I want.
When planting seeds, I follow the directions on the back of the packaging. So far, I’ve planted and grown tomatoes, celery, basil, broccoli, lettuce, and different flowers in my garden. I almost always plant flowers to attract bees for pollination.
I fight pests by releasing ladybugs and the preying mantis into my garden. I also leave the spider population alone. I do not use any herbicides or pesticides near or around the area. I have ordered ladybugs from Nature’s Good Guys. They come in different quantities and prices so select the right amount based off of your needs. Each package of ladybugs comes with instructions. Be sure to follow them. Make sure the ladybugs have a water source.
Since the creation of my garden, I have had a constant supply of herbs and vegetables. There’s always something growing out there. In the future I plan to grow a wider variety of plants. I have recently planted cilantro, thyme and spinach seeds. I look forward to their harvest.
If I decide in the future to expand the growing area, I can easily do so. All I have to do is remove one side of blocks and extend the front and back to the desired length. Then I would add irrigation, soil and replace the side. In the meantime, I plan to keep things the same, rotating out only the type of vegetables I like.
Key takeaways:
A garden doesn’t have to occupy a large space in the yard.
A small garden can support and supplement the kitchen and for a size of a parking space, enough food can be grown for two people.
Little to no experience is necessary to maintain a garden.
Gardening is off-grid.
Growing food is decentralized.
I experiment with growing plants by planting seeds in a random order and by mixing my own soil. Composting takes a little time but can produce some great soil for the plants. It is fun and relaxing and I hope that sharing my simple backyard garden gives someone some ideas and inspires others to start one.
“Live Free, or Die Trying.”
As always, I hope you stay prepared. God Bless and thank you for reading.
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