[-Cat-]

Hi all, Im new to the forum and looking at starting my own veg patch.

My problem is I have contacted the council and discovered their is an 18 month wait for an allotment

Now my back garden is to small and its taken up with a large walk in chicken run so not an option.

However my front garden is a good enough size and just grass. I live on a 70s houseing estate made up of semi detached houses, its not a throigh road so its pretty quiet and my living rom overlooks the front garden so I look out over it all day (Im a stay at home mum). Do you think it would be okay to use my front garden to grow fruit and veg. I know for a lot of the year they are not exactly a thing of beauty, I dont know if my neighbours would be unimpressed and think I was crazy?

[richyrich7]

Hi Cat why not I've snook the odd veg plant in the front before. Some can be very attractive like big yellow courgette flowers, rainbow chard etc just needs a little planning. Also consider beds raised or not up to you, in an attractive pattern. This in itself would be attractive but useful, loads of ideas about.

Try typing potager into google

And welcome to the forums  

[ck2day]

Welcome, give it a go, you may find you start a new trend and you certainly won't be the first to grow veggies in the front garden. I wouldn't worry about what your neighbours think, it's your home after all.

[poultrygeist]

Hi Cat,
Is the front open plan ?
If so, it may be hard to keep off cats/dogs/kids, etc but if it's a bit enclosed I would say let them twitch the curtains and you may even start a trend !

We have a pretty big front garden enclosed by hedges and we may plant a few bits and bobs. Rainbow chard looks good in a border as do any of ornamental greens. Outdoor toms would look good too.
You could colour co-ordinate if you want to really impress !  

I say go fot it !
Rob

[MarkG]

I think it sounds like an excellent idea.

I've some friends in cardiff who live on a long street of 70s houses. They have a small front garden that had a square patch of grass surrounded by paving, then their front wall, and then the pavement and street. They replaced the patch of grass with a raised bed and grow veg in it. It looks very smart.

Your neighbours may well think you are crazy. But I'm sure they will be impressed. You watch, the whole street will be coming over to see how your veg is doing and offer advice.

You could try making a garden feature. How about a munty bean shack with some gnomes inside? Maybe I'm getting carried away.

Good luck,

Mark.

[compostqueen]

I wouldn't give up on the plot idea and would go to the lotty site and speak to people. The council often have no idea about what goes on on the ground so to speak and you may get there and find there are loads of empty plots but a big waiting list.  Annoying but it's what happens.  Having a word with the lotty sec etc might get you a lotty share or a half plot if someone budges up.  

I turned half my front garden into a lotty and it was great but I did have to keep it tidy. Good fun actually  

[-Cat-]

Well the other half hasnt said an imiediate no to it. So this seems rather possible. Im also hoping it will encourage our 2 year old to eat his veg if he is taking part in growning it.

I have been looking at link-a-board raised beds and could have gravel walk ways between them so it would look quite attractive then. We get on well with our neighbours and often stand around in the street chatting and over the back garden fence. They chuck spare veg offer for my chooks to eat and they have caused quite a conversational point themselves. Nice way of being sociable.

Looks like this might be a goer!

[paintedlady]

My one concern is theft - you'll be surprised by how many people think that anything in the front garden is public property.

At a previous home, we had a Morello black cherry up against the house, and we never once got a crop due to thieving kids :evil:   How could we tell - how about a pile of bright red cherries just down the road where they had been dropped after finding out they were "sour" ...

[-Cat-]

My living room window strtches the width of the house and I dont have net curtains so sitting in our lounge we see our garden and right up the street so I dont think people would nick anything in full view of me. we do have a low fence around our garden so people dont walk across it and I could put the veg close to the path and fruit closest to the house so people would have to walk up our driveway and across the garden to steal fruit and I dont think kids would be interested in trying to just grab a quick lettice or carrot from by the side of the path lol!

[poultrygeist]

I dont think kids would be interested in trying to just grab a quick lettice or carrot from by the side of the path lol!

Wouldn't the government be pleased if they were that desparate for veg !!
 

Rob

[Fenland Girl]

Definitely go for it. The houses on our street also have large front gardens but because we also have an allotment area at the back no-one does anything with their front gardens. Unfortunately we are not allowed to fence them in and they front onto the main road out of the village so I can't even let the kids play out there. We've decided to put some fruit trees in and create a mini-orchard so that at least the space isn't being wasted.

I did have some problems with kids nicking veg from my plot a couple of years ago. I caught one girl red-handed with a pumpkin and threatened to call the police (probably a bit OTT but I was so mad). Later that day she knocked on the door with a huge bunch of flowers and a card saying sorry. Never happened again!

[compostqueen]

I like those Link a Bord beds. I've got two big ones and a little un, two storeys high. They are quite well insulated I think as I manage to overwinter pak choi and carrots on mine

[Bombers]

this sounds a great idea.... I'm off to dig up the front lawn before she who needs to be obeyed returns from the latest shopping trip!!
     However, you could plant some rather attractive companion plants with your Veg.. - this might confuse the chavvies!! I have planted Verbena's with the carrotts. I read somewhere they help keep those flies away?

[-Cat-]

Yes I was told that about planting marigolds. I think I will mix some flowers with the veg so it looks attractive for the neighbours.

[crackedflowerpots]

Hi all, Im new to the forum and looking at starting my own veg patch.

My problem is I have contacted the council and discovered their is an 18 month wait for an allotment

Now my back garden is to small and its taken up with a large walk in chicken run so not an option.

However my front garden is a good enough size and just grass. I live on a 70s houseing estate made up of semi detached houses, its not a throigh road so its pretty quiet and my living rom overlooks the front garden so I look out over it all day (Im a stay at home mum). Do you think it would be okay to use my front garden to grow fruit and veg. I know for a lot of the year they are not exactly a thing of beauty, I dont know if my neighbours would be unimpressed and think I was crazy?

you are a genius!  thats what i would do!