The closed loop
Giving more than I take
The aim is a plot where almost nothing leaves and almost nothing needs buying in — the soil fed by what the plot itself produces.
Sustainability on a plot this size isn't grand. It's a handful of small loops that each save a little waste, a little money, or a little water — and quietly add up over a season.
Compost: the engine of the plot
Three bays, side by side. One I'm filling, one is cooking, one is ready to use. Kitchen scraps, spent plants, cardboard and grass clippings go in; six months later, dark crumbly soil comes out. Turning a full bay is the closest thing the plot has to a workout, and the worms do most of the real work.
Water off the roof
The shed roof feeds two water butts, and that's most of my watering through the drier months. I water deeply and less often so the roots chase the moisture down, and mulch the beds to keep what's there from evaporating by lunchtime.
The cheapest seed is saved seed
Every year I let a few of the best plants run to seed — beans, peas, calendula, coriander — and collect them dry. Next season starts for free, and the plants are already a little better suited to this exact patch of ground.
No-dig, less waste
Loops that work
- Three-bay compost year-round
- Rainwater harvest 2 butts
- Seed saving 5+ crops
- No-dig beds 3 seasons in
- Green manure over winter
Still working on
- Leaf-mould bin building
- Comfrey feed brewing
- Peat-free everything nearly there
- Plastic-free module trays trialling