Maximising production

After years of squeezing big harvests out of an ordinary suburban backyard, I’ve learnt that abundance isn’t about having lots of space – it’s all about planning well and growing your heart out. Here are a handful of habits I’ve adopted to keep my garden beds brimming:

• Raising seed in punnets has been a major game changer. Direct sowing has its place, but punnets – particularly multicell punnets – put your production way out in front.
• I use multicell punnets for almost everything and multisow seed whenever I can. thing and multisow seed whenever I can. Instead of one seed per cell, I pop in a few and plant the whole cluster out together
• Another thing I’ve learnt is to always plan ahead. While one season’s crops are in full swing, I’m getting ready for the next: ordering seed, collecting spare pots, stockpiling potting mix and starting trays of seedlings early.
• Then there’s the art of intercropping. While I’m waiting for big, slow plants like cabbages to reach full size, I tuck some quick-growing crops, such as radishes or pak choy between the rows and harvest them well before the cabbages swell.

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