Recently relocated from Dorset to Brighton. The reviews on this site are from my Dorset clients, and I am now building my Sussex client base.

East Sussex

Kitchen Gardens in East Sussex

Grow good food without it taking over your life, looked after through the season or designed and built from scratch.

Grow your ownFood from your own plot, big or small
RealisticSized to your time and space
All seasonA plan for every month of the year
Wildlife-friendlyMethods that support soil and wildlife

Two ways I can help

A kitchen garden in Brighton, your way

A kitchen garden in East Sussex can start from very different places. Some people already have a veg plot and want it to work harder. Others are staring at a patch of lawn and dreaming. Either way, I will keep it realistic.

Already growing?

I can take your veg plot through the whole season, from propagation to harvest, so it stays productive without swallowing your weekends.

Starting from scratch?

I will design and build a vegetable plot or kitchen garden around your space, your cooking and the time you really have.

Through the season

Looking after a veg plot all year

The jobs that make the difference between a patch that limps along and one that feeds you.

Propagation

Raising seedlings and young plants so you start the season strong, in a greenhouse, a cold frame or on a windowsill.

Succession planting

Sowing little and often, so the harvest keeps coming and you are not buried in lettuce one week and have none the next.

Improving yield

Feeding the soil, spacing, watering and choosing varieties that suit your garden, so you get more from the same space.

Keeping the workload low

Mulching, sensible bed layouts and a plan that fits the time you actually have.

Designing and building

From a blank patch to a working plot

A real kitchen garden, before and after.

Before

The starting point: a patch with potential.

After

The finished plot, ready for planting.

Frames laid out

Treated timber frames set square, with paths marked out between the beds.

Beds filled and divided

Soil and compost in, beds divided into manageable sections, ready for planting.

How it works

Four steps to a working plot

01

Walk the plot

I look at sun, soil, water and access, and ask what you like to eat.

02

Design it with you

Beds, paths, where the compost and water go, and what to grow first.

03

Build it

Beds, paths, soil improvement and the first sowing and planting.

04

Settle it in

Guidance for the first season, or I can look after it for you.

Questions

Kitchen garden questions

No. A few raised beds or a sunny patio can produce plenty, and a larger plot can be planned so it stays productive without taking over your weekends. What matters most is sun, access to water and a layout that suits how you really use the garden.

Yes. I can take a veg plot through the whole season, or just help at the key times: sowing, planting out, feeding, tying in and clearing. Many clients like to do the harvesting and enjoy the cooking while I keep the plot ticking over.

Yes, as part of designing and building a kitchen garden. I plan the beds, paths and supports together, so the plot is easy to reach, easy to water and straightforward to manage, then fill the beds with good soil and compost.

It follows the season and your tastes: salads and herbs, roots, brassicas, beans and peas, squash, soft fruit and flowers for pollinators. I plan succession so there is something to pick for more of the year, and I will adjust to what you actually like to eat.

No chemical shortcuts. I focus on healthy soil, good planning and encouraging the wildlife that helps, such as ground beetles, ladybirds and birds. Compost and mulch feed the soil, and crop rotation, netting and good timing deal with most problems.

Mulch to hold moisture and suppress weeds, sensible bed sizes, paths you can use in wet weather and a simple watering plan. A kitchen garden should feed you and give pleasure, not become another job.

Please do. Home compost is one of the best things you can add to a veg plot, and I can show you how to make and use it well. If you do not have any yet, I can build compost bins as part of the project.

Winter is a great time to plan, so beds are ready for spring. But a plot can be started almost any time of year, and a site visit is the best way to work out what makes sense for yours.

Both. Raising seedlings in a greenhouse, cold frame or on a windowsill saves money and gives you more choice of varieties. I raise and plant out where the site allows, and buy in young plants where that is simpler.

Tell me about your plot

Book a free site visit and we will talk through what you would like to grow.