December Evergreen Challenge: Round 4

I haven't really got around to making any new year resolutions or really, I think all the decisions were made some time earlier. There's an over-riding one about life becoming more simpler, letting go of some things and spending more time on the things I love and need to do.

One of the many delights of getting more into steam was finding environmental contests which made me do things I had been thinking about doing but just needed a gentle nudge. The latest in a long line is the Evergreen December Challenge from @phoenixwren, a list of fabulous ideas of things large and small you might do to improve the environment.

One of the ideas on the list was about researching permaculture and sharing some ideas I plan to implement. To be honest, this was a shoo-in :) When I learned about the chop and drop method last year (just chop down your weeds and leave them right where they are to waste away and replenish the soil) I was made up! I'd already abandoned double digging in favour of raised beds, but gardening still seemed like a bit of a chore. Suddenly, it became a playground.

I grew all kinds of things - four different types of tomatoes, aubergines, sweet corn, spinach, rhubarb, courgettes, chillis, herbs, salad leaves. I loved going out with my little basket and picking what I was going to eat for tea. It was a thrilling summer, the long hot sunny weather ensured a bumper crop. And still, broccoli and cauliflower are growing through the winter to harvest in the spring.

The experience changed the whole way I felt about living here. I'd had to move suddenly from the place I had been living before, which I had loved, to this house, which is very nice, but in a city many miles from where I wanted to be. I'd been here two years and was definitely tolerating it and then this summer came ... ironically, at the end of it, I had the opportunity to move back to where I had lived before but I realised I had grown to love my garden and its potential.

I love the back garden and the whole space around it. This is the front garden in its winter robes, neglected and unlovely, a whole different story ... until now.

The front garden has always been a bit of a compromise. Beyond the hedge is the A6, a main road from the south into Leicester and very busy (and noisy). The lawn was great when the children were small and they played outside all summer, with a paddling pool on the patio and toys on the grass. After that, while I was living elsewhere, it was a garden that was easy to keep tidy and didn't need much attention. I rarely sit out there, prefering the privacy and quiet of the back. Such a waste, though.

Given that I don't have to please anyone but myself, I've decided to create a food forest at the front (my neighbour looked aghast when I said it). The first step will be sorting out the two trees on the boundary; and having the one at the end relieved of its lower branches to let in more light. Then I'll have the path moved to form an s-shaped curve across the garden from the left hand far corner to the front door on the near right corner, creating two roughly shaped triangles, one on either side of the path.

The triangle on the right will be planted with small shrubs and trees and, I fancy, have an arbour where I can sit shielded from the traffic. I'm looking forward to researching and touring nurseries to decide what to have. On the left hand side, which gets maximum sun and has a line of ancient rose trees, I'll probably have some raised beds, while I think what I want to do longer term. At the end of the garden are a line of compost bins - there maybe a better place for them.

I've also had dreams about building a wood-fired oven somewhere for eating out of doors when its hot ... but also in the winter sometimes, when it's a sunny day (that's Jamie Oliver's influence). And I guess there should be a pond ...

I definitely want to grow some potatoes this year, if nothing else :)

Thank you @phoenixwren for a lovely challenge. I've enjoyed it - as much thinking about all the different things, so many ideas for the next year, as the things I've managed to do.

Let's hope next year is more peaceful and green and we start to tackle some of the big problems in the world. Best wishes for 2019, everyone.