What should I plant in my courtyard?

[stupidfish]

I have a small courtyard at home and have been thinking of putting in a couple of pots for herbs or veggies. I only have an area a couple of square meters in size.

Any suggestions on what I should plant and how I should go about it? Also, how do I make sure the plants don't get eaten. We had a chilli plant that was flowering and then overnight it was gone.

[greygardener]

There's plenty of herbs that you can plant at this time of year, like parsley, mint, corriander, chives, rocquet, lemongrass, thyme and rosemary. Really depends on what you like to eat.

Do you think your chilli plant was eaten by a possum?

[Kellie]

Could you do a vertical garden to make maximum use of the small space? There are so many great vertical garden solutions now, or of course you can DIY.

[boris]

I'm also thinking about options for our courtyard. 

haven't considered a vertical garden. But will look for some ideas. If you have any shots please share them.

here's a photo of our courtyard.

[stupidfish]

I think it might have been a possum, but I was suprised that they would want to eat chillis!

[boris]

We're thinking about decking our courtyard, similar to this photo. Bamboo that doesn't take up too much width, and wide merbau boards placed from from to back for bigger feel.

[boris]

Here's some shots that I found online that we like.

[QuailFlock]

At this time of year, possums eat anything to get them over the winter.

It could be rats as well. Both animals love the green leafy plants - they eat the leaves, stems and all!!

Put a net over the plant next year, hopefully make it harder for them.

[QuailFlock]

Be careful with bamboos. Make sure you choose the non-invasive type, otherwise their runners will start to spread and will block the drainage and sewage systems. 

[moncat72]

Hi, You could also think about installing a verticle garden - the one that you attach to your wall in the courtyard and you can position the frame so it receives sufficient sun. This may also help with the pest problem and you can get some nice ones that are reasonably priced from bunnings with easy installation. Hope that helps. You might like to start with plants that you like to eat and are easy to grow. Lettuce will grow well now as will coriander, spring onions (shallots), and there are a variety of different lettuces - mizzuna, iceberg, rocket, watercress etc. Goodluck.