Eat Your Way to Independence

Grow a Thriving, Edible Garden

Are rising food costs stretching your budget? Are you eager to take more control of your food supply, boost your wellbeing, and reconnect with nature—right from your backyard?

Whether you’re curious about low-effort ways to grow herbs on a windowsill or dreaming of a vibrant garden that nourishes your family and even generates a little income, food gardening is a powerful step toward independence.

You don’t need to do it all at once—and you certainly don’t need acres of land. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to growing your own food. From raised beds and no-dig gardens to grow bags, hydroponics, and permaculture, each method offers its own advantages depending on your space, lifestyle, and values.

In this Newsletter, we’ll introduce some popular food-growing methods and explore what makes each one special—so you can start where you are and grow into the kind of garden that works for you.

Some Popular Herb & Food Gardening Techniques

• Raised Garden Beds

Raised beds are framed garden boxes built above ground level, often filled with improved soil and compost. They’re one of the most popular gardening methods due to their accessibility and flexibility.

Why Choose Them?

• Better soil control: You fill them with the soil of your choice, which is helpful if your native soil is poor or contaminated.
• Improved drainage: Excess water drains easily, preventing soggy roots.
• Easy access: Ideal for people with mobility issues or for avoiding too much bending.
• Defined growing area: Helps prevent soil compaction and keeps pathways tidy.

Materials: Timber, corrugated iron, bricks, or even recycled materials.

Great For: Almost all vegetables, especially in backyards with poor soil or limited space.

• No-Dig Gardening

No-dig gardening builds healthy soil by layering organic matter on top of the ground rather than tilling or disturbing it. The soil is left intact, encouraging microbial life and structure.

How It Works:

• Layers of compost, straw, mulch, and manure are added directly onto the surface.
• Plants are grown into this rich, layered mix that mimics natural soil formation.
• Over time, worms and microbes integrate the layers, creating nutrient-rich soil.

Benefits:

• Soil health: Preserves the living structure of the soil and its beneficial organisms.
• Low maintenance: Reduces weeding, watering, and fertilizing.
• Carbon-friendly: Limits carbon loss and erosion by not disturbing the soil.

Great For: Gardeners seeking a regenerative, low-input method; perfect for leafy greens, root crops, and perennial herbs.

Isabell has always been the source of plants and advice for many of us, her admirers. We can be proud of her encyclopaedic work (Acerola to Yucca) on plants, which includes a vast reference background, as well as practical advice. "Shipard on herbs" is destined to be one of those foundation books that will be in print for the next century. Buy one for yourself, and your grandchildren.

Bill MollisonThe Father of Permaculture

In all the places I have travelled and worked in the world as a Permaculture designer and teacher, I've never met anybody who has such a depth and diversity of knowledge of individual plants, their functions, cultural uses and the growing conditions they require as Isabell Shipard.

Geoff LawtonWorld Renowned Permaculture Consultant

• Grow Bags and Fabric Pots

Grow bags and fabric pots are breathable containers made from felt-like materials that support healthy root systems and can be used almost anywhere—balconies, patios, courtyards, or directly on soil.

Why Choose Them?

• Air-pruning roots: Unlike plastic pots, fabric containers allow air to pass through, naturally “pruning” roots to prevent them from circling and becoming root-bound.
• Portability: They’re lightweight and easy to move—great for renters or shifting sun conditions.
• Drainage: Excellent for preventing waterlogged soil.
• Space-saving: Available in many sizes, including stackable or wall-mounted styles.

Great For: Tomatoes, potatoes, leafy greens, herbs, and plants needing good drainage.

• Wicking Beds

Wicking beds (my personal favourites) are self-watering garden beds that draw moisture upwards from a water reservoir at the base—like a sponge. This method reduces water use and is ideal for dry climates or gardeners who can’t water daily.

How It Works:

• A watertight base is filled with a coarse medium (like gravel), then topped with a geotextile fabric and soil.
• Water is added to the base, and the soil above draws moisture up via capillary action.
• Plants take only what they need, making overwatering nearly impossible.

Benefits:

• Water efficiency: Perfect for water-restricted areas.
• Low maintenance: Fewer watering sessions required.
• Healthier roots: Constant access to moisture without saturation.

Great For: Most vegetables, especially thirsty crops like cucumbers, lettuce, and tomatoes.

• Straw Bale Gardening

Straw bale gardening uses decomposing straw bales as both the growing medium and container. After conditioning the bales with water and fertilizer, they become a warm, nutrient-rich base for plants.

Advantages:

• No digging required: Great for poor or compacted soil areas.
• Extended season: Internal decomposition produces heat, protecting early crops from cool temps.
• Natural compost: Over time, the bale breaks down and enriches the garden.

Things to Keep in Mind:

• Requires regular watering—straw dries out quickly.
• Needs support for taller plants like tomatoes or corn.
• Eventually, bales decompose and can be added to compost or garden beds.

Great For: Tomatoes, zucchini, beans, leafy greens, and root vegetables.

• Hydroponics & Aquaponics

Hydroponics is a method of growing plants in water, without soil, using nutrient-rich solutions. Aquaponics combines hydroponics with aquaculture (raising fish), where fish waste feeds the plants, and the plants clean the water.

Hydroponics Benefits:

• Fast growth: Direct nutrient delivery boosts plant speed and yield.
• Soil-free: Ideal for areas with poor or no soil access.
• Water-efficient: Closed systems use less water than traditional gardens.

Aquaponics Benefits:

• Closed-loop system: Creates a sustainable, self-cleaning eco-cycle.
• Dual yield: Produces both vegetables and edible fish (like tilapia or trout).
• Organic potential: Fewer inputs and chemicals are needed.

Best For: Leafy greens, herbs, tomatoes, strawberries; those interested in year-round indoor or greenhouse gardening.

• Vertical Gardening

Vertical gardening uses upright structures like trellises, towers, walls, and shelves to grow plants upward instead of outward. It’s ideal for small spaces or aesthetic garden design.

Why Go Vertical?

• Space-saving: Perfect for balconies, fences, or small yards.
• Easy harvesting: Less bending, easier access to fruits and greens.
• Improved airflow and sunlight: Helps reduce pests and disease.
• Aesthetic appeal: Living walls and green facades can be beautiful.

Structures Include: Hanging pockets, stacked planters, ladders, trellises, and hydroponic towers.

Best For: Climbers (beans, peas), salad greens, strawberries, herbs, and even compact cucumbers or tomatoes.

• Container Gardening

Container gardening involves growing plants in pots, tubs, buckets, and other portable vessels. It’s one of the simplest, most accessible gardening styles.

Why Containers?

• Portability: Move plants for sunlight, weather, or redecoration.
• Soil control: Customize soil mixes for individual plant needs.
• Low commitment: Ideal for renters or those new to gardening.

Tips for Success:

• Choose containers with good drainage.
• Use high-quality potting mix, not garden soil.
• Regularly water and fertilize, as pots dry out faster.

Best For: Herbs, lettuce, cherry tomatoes, dwarf fruit trees, chillies, edible flowers, or any plants suited to small root zones.

• Permaculture Gardening

Permaculture is more than a gardening method—it’s a design philosophy based on mimicking natural ecosystems. In permaculture gardens, elements are placed to work together harmoniously and sustainably.

Core Principles:

• Observe and interact: Work with nature, not against it.
• Use and value renewable resources.
• Integrate rather than segregate: Plants, animals, and humans function as one system.
• Produce no waste: Compost, reuse, and repurpose.

Key Features:

• Edible food forests
• Swales for water harvesting
• Companion planting and natural pest control
• Mixed layers of plants: trees, shrubs, vines, and ground covers

Great For: Gardeners thinking long-term who want a holistic, self-sustaining system and who enjoy observing natural patterns.

An inspiring story of Permaculture transformation

Each gardening method brings its own strengths, and many gardeners find joy in blending different approaches to suit their space, goals, and lifestyle. Whether you’re seeking low-maintenance abundance or eager to explore innovative techniques, the path to growing your own food is entirely your own to shape.

No matter the size of your backyard or the scale you’re aiming for, Isabell Shipard’s comprehensive book How Can I Use Herbs in My Daily Life? offers a treasure trove of knowledge on more than 500 herbs, fruit trees, and edible plants. From growing tips and climate considerations to culinary uses and medicinal applications, it’s an invaluable companion on your gardening journey.

By combining the practical wisdom in Isabell’s books with the gardening techniques shared here, you’ll be empowered to create a thriving, resilient garden—one that feeds your body, supports your wellbeing, delight your senses, and brings beauty and purpose into your everyday life.