• It is recommended to begin the work and set up the gardening area during April–May together with other residents.
• Select the location for the gardening area and decide whether each resident has their own planting box or whether all plants are grown together.
• Ensure watering: do the hosepipes reach all the way to the gardening area or is it necessary to use watering cans? Is rainwater collected in large containers for watering the plants?
• Get, for example, pallet collars as planting boxes as well as soil, non-woven fabric, fertiliser and fabric to cover plants during those cold early summer nights.
• Remove the lawn under the pallet collars. Line the bottoms of the pallet collars with heavy non-woven fabric to make sure that perennial weeds or tree roots do not reach under the planting boxes and take space from the plants.
• Finally, fill the pallet collars with soil and start planting.

• The plans for growing plants during the next growing season should be made in early spring.
• You can change the soil in the planting boxes in the spring to ensure good growth. You can use the soil from the previous season and spread it under the bushes in the yard, for example.
• During May–June, you can start planting the seedlings bought from gardening stores. In case of night frosts, cover the patches with protective fabric to keep the seedlings from freezing.
• During the summer, the patches must be regularly watered and fertilised. The crops are harvested as they ripen.
• During September–October, the last crops are harvested and the patch is prepared for the winter: the rest of the plant material such as root vegetable tops, is put in the compost bin. The soil can be left in the planting box to wait for the spring.

First harvest!

• You can grow different types of plants in the same planting box: flowers, herbs, salads, and the like. See here for different options!
• You can select vegetables and herbs that you like to use in cooking to make sure that you really use the plants. On the other hand, you can also try growing some more exotic varieties, such as Thai basil or Bok choy, also known as Chinese cabbage.
• In early summer, you can sow plants like parsley, coriander, dill and different salad varieties directly in the planting box. Basil, one of the most popular herbs, only grows well in warm temperatures and should be placed in the planting box once the night-time temperatures are well above zero degrees. As basil grows rather slowly, it is recommended to plant seedlings. The same applies to perennial thyme and chive to ensure that the plants can be harvested quickly.
• You can enjoy different salad varieties throughout the growing season. As salad leaves are constantly picked for the plate, it is recommended to sow more seeds throughout the summer.
• It is important to remember to harvest the plants: courgettes, for instance, are at their best when 15–20 centimetres long. Well-growing herbs can be collected and stored in the freezer to enjoy the flavours of summer throughout the year.