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After I wrote about Carol Watson’s salad garden on her boat, Nichola Wright sent me photos and a short write up on the garden on her boat. Since it’s a little different method and readers asked for more ideas, I’m thrilled that she did! Nichola is from the UK, currently in Lisbon aboard her boat Emerald and heading for the Med.
Here’s what Nichola wrote:
My husband bought me the pots as a surprise birthday present as he knew I missed my garden now we were full time liveaboards. I bought a couple of bags of compost and lots of seed packets. The pots measure 38cm x 20cm x 17cm deep and have holes in the bottom with a separate tray to sit in.
We started off with the pots sat on the space just behind our mast and a dead space for us. We ended up with a few short lengths of stainless tube leftover from another job so we made a stainless fence although the pots don’t really need it as we don’t sail with them outside as I don’t think a salty wave would be too good for them.
When we’re at sea they go below on the floor in our v-berth with a webbing strap to hold them in place. As we generally only day sail they don’t seem to suffer too much from a few hours out of the sun.
Until this year we were living aboard in the UK with some cold winters. So then I brought them inside our cockpit canopy which has plastic windows so it acts as a sort of greenhouse although not much grew through the winter. See the photo at the top of this post.
Most years I refresh the compost, I also use a veg liquid food. My chives (looks like it needs a haircut in the photos!) come back year after year so I haven’t replaced its compost for fear of killing it.
So far I’ve tried rocket, various salad leaves, basil, spinach, chard, peas (for pea shoots), parsley, chives and this year I’ve given spring onions (AKA green onions in the US) a go.
I have grown chillies before but they grew so tall they became a bit unwieldy when moving the pots around so I’m sticking with shorter plants.
I grow from seed and the crop is eaten as baby leaves as the pots aren’t big enough for them to grow much bigger. I pick a few leaves and new ones grow back for maybe 4 times. I’ll plant new seeds every few weeks to keep a continuous supply. It’s not a massive crop but provides enough for a few leaves for lunch most days.
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Carolyn Shearlock has lived aboard full-time for 17 years, splitting her time between a Tayana 37 monohull and a Gemini 105 catamaran. She’s cruised over 14,000 miles, from Pacific Mexico and Central America to Florida and the Bahamas, gaining firsthand experience with the joys and challenges of life on the water.
Through The Boat Galley, Carolyn has helped thousands of people explore, prepare for, and enjoy life afloat. She shares her expertise as an instructor at Cruisers University, in leading boating publications, and through her bestselling book, The Boat Galley Cookbook. She is passionate about helping others embark on their liveaboard journey—making life on the water simpler, safer, and more enjoyable.
Jan Bogart says
i keep trying to get basil going, but no go……salt air i guess.
Julie Hooper Krooshof says
Our basil is out of control.
Our trick. Don’t do anything
Rose says
Basil likes it really hot. Hotter the better. It grew 4′ high one year in a hot town on the hot side against the house. Cold and rainy and calls it quits
Olly Perkins says
Love this idea – I quite like growing food myself but not on a boat. Seeing as I don’t currently live on the boat I can’t do much but I plan to when I am older so I have saved this article.
PS This is my new favourite blog – you must have put in so much effort but it has definitely paid off.
Liz Nelson says
I grew lettuce that you pick the leaves and it was very successful lasted for weeks and shared it with friends great idea for fresh I’m going to try silver beet for over winter here in New Zealand
Jerry Gotts says
All this sounds very good as I make plans to cruise. I hope to always remain in the tropics. Has anyone tried strawberries and other fruit ? I planted a few sweet potatoes on board yrs. ago and boy were they good.
Cheers,Jerry
Carolyn Shearlock says
You might be able to do strawberries in winter, but in general they like cooler temperatures than you’ll find in the tropics.
Jeanette Harp says
Check out greenstalkgarden.com. We are starting a charter company and will have this in board. We have a bnb in upstate and use this for herbs and flowers, strawberries and more for when we don’t want to trek out to the garden. It’s perfect!