The backyard plot that fed a family all summer

It started as a pandemic hobby that was supposed to fade. Six seasons later it produces enough to cover the household's vegetables from June to October.

The whole system is four beds, rotated on a simple schedule, plus a compost bin that does most of the fertilising work.

The unglamorous secret

Consistency beats ambition. Twenty minutes every evening produces more food than a heroic weekend once a month.

The tomatoes, inevitably, overperformed. Neighbours have been receiving unsolicited deliveries since July.

Next year's plan adds a small greenhouse, mostly to extend the season by six weeks at each end.