In 2022, right next to our patio, we built gently sloping, south-facing half-circular raised beds, despite the shade cast by the house. Our idea was that we could have a summer crop from March to October by making the most of the sunlight and the space, whilst also growing a few winter vegetables there, whose growth would be slowed by the shade. We hoped that by positioning them close to the house, we would be able to tend to them frequently.

After four years of experimentation, our hypothesis was confirmed: there was sufficient sunlight for an abundant harvest of tomatoes, courgettes, cucumbers… and we were able to overwinter leek, fennel and celery plants, which did not bolt due to a lack of light.

Nevertheless, the amount of maintenance work, the ergonomic constraints and the

rapid drying out of the mounds led us to prefer moving the vegetable patch to the best-exposed plot… ultimately at the far end of the garden. We opted for raised vegetable beds, fitted with a structure allowing a shade sail to be installed during heatwaves.

Despite the systematic use of our green waste in the form of RMF (ramial mulch) and compost, the plot is not large enough to do without buying straw and organic fertiliser.