High performance garden

I know a lot of books are aimed more at a amercian reader with a lot of garden space but is this book for somebody with a small foot print for a garden space.
I have a small space in my back yard in australia that is maybe about 20ft long and about 6 foot wide.
Im in a more arid climate and when we moved in we removed the grass and built up 2 hill type beds layed with cardboard on the base then built up with garden soil from the local hardware store and rice straw and hay.
The small back area behind these 2 rows is about 6 feet by 6 feet and is currently home to some mint and baby style egg plant and yellow squash with rows at the front currently growing 2 pumpkins as we did have 2 tomatoe plants and bell pepers plants which did very well as we get on avg about 8 to 10hrs of sunlight in the space has a brick garage wall about 2 feet away from the garden which faces west so it still throws off heat after the sun has gone down.
Will this book help me to grow more in such a limited space as we have had to place up wire to stop the dog from getting in to help garden ?
Im thinking about giving the beds a rest for a few months as my pumpkin plants even though there is only 2 of them have some what taken over the space so is it worth just waiting a few months and then plant again in the spring time as i dont think we can control the pumpkins too much.

Andrew Tailby wrote:I know a lot of books are aimed more at a amercian reader with a lot of garden space but is this book for somebody with a small foot print for a garden space.
I have a small space in my back yard in australia that is maybe about 20ft long and about 6 foot wide.
Im in a more arid climate and when we moved in we removed the grass and built up 2 hill type beds layed with cardboard on the base then built up with garden soil from the local hardware store and rice straw and hay.
The small back area behind these 2 rows is about 6 feet by 6 feet and is currently home to some mint and baby style egg plant and yellow squash with rows at the front currently growing 2 pumpkins as we did have 2 tomatoe plants and bell pepers plants which did very well as we get on avg about 8 to 10hrs of sunlight in the space has a brick garage wall about 2 feet away from the garden which faces west so it still throws off heat after the sun has gone down.
Will this book help me to grow more in such a limited space as we have had to place up wire to stop the dog from getting in to help garden ?
Im thinking about giving the beds a rest for a few months as my pumpkin plants even though there is only 2 of them have some what taken over the space so is it worth just waiting a few months and then plant again in the spring time as i dont think we can control the pumpkins too much.

Hi Andrew!  The secret of growing a lot in a small space is to grow vertically.  In the book we cover how to grow vertically in small spaces.  In 16 sq. ft I grew 25 tomato plants and they all did really well.  Also I grow pumpkins, squash, and melons vertically.  If you want to see this in action, you can watch our High Performance Garden Show.  We demonstrate how to grow vertically.  go to https://permies.com/forums/forums/wikiBacklink/list/211357
Thanks for asking!

I believe this is the link to the High Performance Garden Show:

https://permies.com/wiki/211357/Lynn-Gillespie-High-Performance-Garden

Thank you, Lynn, for sharing the information about the 25 tomato plants in 16 sq. ft.

Anne Miller wrote:I believe this is the link to the High Performance Garden Show:

https://permies.com/wiki/211357/Lynn-Gillespie-High-Performance-Garden

Thank you, Lynn, for sharing the information about the 25 tomato plants in 16 sq. ft.

Thanks Anne, I am a better gardener then forum participant!  I a m off to harvest lettuce. I will check in later!

welcome to permies, lynn.

guess my first question is, how was the lettuce you harvested? little far to drive over to do a taste test myself. 22hrs 12min away according to google maps

next, would you advise a hugle style base in your raised beds?

do you cover companion planting at all in your book? i would love to hear what you have observed over the years. there is some stuff out there but i get the feeling a lot of it is something someone else wrote just being parroted with no real experience to back it up.

i have four 50' beds that i started last year, slightly raised on the north side to get them slightly level as they are on a north slope. this spring i plan to stack two 2x6's on the north side and 1 on the south side of each bed to create a slight south slope, read some where it might be a good idea. your thoughts?

strawberries are in the ground but i want to pull them and put them in raised beds, after the snow is gone and i build the beds o'course. i noticed you were sitting on the side of one of your beds, looked like about 2', would higher be any better, say 30-36"s?

i could keep asking questions but then i might not need the book, but i like books and based on the two 9 acorn reviews it looks like i will end up with yours.

i always appreciate the folks that don't squirrel their knowledge away because they are afraid someone else might do well. thanks for putting your knowledge and experience out there for the rest of us.

cheers   james

Thanks for the link i will check it out at the weekend when i have a little more time to watch

Anne Miller wrote:I believe this is the link to the High Performance Garden Show:

https://permies.com/wiki/211357/Lynn-Gillespie-High-Performance-Garden

Thank you, Lynn, for sharing the information about the 25 tomato plants in 16 sq. ft.

james cox wrote:welcome to permies, lynn.

guess my first question is, how was the lettuce you harvested? little far to drive over to do a taste test myself. 22hrs 12min away according to google maps

next, would you advise a hugle style base in your raised beds?

do you cover companion planting at all in your book? i would love to hear what you have observed over the years. there is some stuff out there but i get the feeling a lot of it is something someone else wrote just being parroted with no real experience to back it up.

i have four 50' beds that i started last year, slightly raised on the north side to get them slightly level as they are on a north slope. this spring i plan to stack two 2x6's on the north side and 1 on the south side of each bed to create a slight south slope, read some where it might be a good idea. your thoughts?

strawberries are in the ground but i want to pull them and put them in raised beds, after the snow is gone and i build the beds o'course. i noticed you were sitting on the side of one of your beds, looked like about 2', would higher be any better, say 30-36"s?

i could keep asking questions but then i might not need the book, but i like books and based on the two 9 acorn reviews it looks like i will end up with yours.

i always appreciate the folks that don't squirrel their knowledge away because they are afraid someone else might do well. thanks for putting your knowledge and experience out there for the rest of us.

cheers   james

HI James!  The lettuce was amazing.  We only picked 15# greens this morning.   I hope someday you will come to visit the farm.  We are open for tours June - September.
You could  a hugel style base if you wanted too.  Most vegetables don't have a very deep root system so it is not necessary but would be fun.
I don't do any companion planting.  Things grow just fine with out it.  I do pay attention to how big a plant will get next to it neighbor plant.  Spacing is more important then companions.
My thought about sloping the beds is how will it water properly.  I like level beds for watering and mulching.
I have grown in beds that are 8 inches high, 16 inches high and 24 inches high.  It is nicer working in the tall beds but not necessary.  The biggest thing I like about my beds is the width.  I like a bed that I can reach the center while sitting on the edge.  We have beds that are 56 inches wide and I like having aisle all around the be if possible.
James, thank you for your questions.  I think you will like the book and the High Performance Garden Show.  I have people who have gardened for 50 years and they say that they have learned so much from the book and show.