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Find what you can grow

Grow Food on a Patio

For beginners with a patio or similar paved outdoor area: establish whether your space is genuinely ready for it, set up one manageable project, grow it, and work towards a first edible harvest.

This course is built around one project — a single compact (bush) courgette plant, grown in one container. There's no crop to choose between: the real first decision is what kind of surface your patio actually is, and whether that changes anything before you start.

  • Beginner level
  • 4 modules
  • 1 core project — bush courgette
  • Self-paced — go whenever you're ready

Most patios are paving or slabs resting on solid ground, which doesn't raise the same structural question a balcony does. But not every patio is that — a raised deck, a roof terrace, or any patio that's itself a built, supported structure needs its own suitability confirmed, the same way a balcony would. Module 1 helps you make that check before buying or placing a container.

Start the course →See the full curriculum ↓

What you'll be working towards

One container-grown courgette plant, and the skills to care for it, harvest it and plan your next crop.

Course curriculum

Four modules and 11 lessons to guide you through growing one courgette plant. Open a module to see its lessons.

  1. 1Is your patio right for this?Establish whether you're allowed to grow here, and whether your patio is genuine ground level or a raised structure needing its own confirmation.
    1. Can You Grow on a Patio Safely?
    2. Check Permission and Access
    3. Understand Your Patio's Sun, Wind and Surface
    4. Decide If — and How — to Proceed
  2. 2Set up safelyChoose a suitable container and position, then choose your one core project — a compact courgette.
    1. Choose Your Container and Position
    2. Choose Your Crop
  3. 3Plant and care for itSow, water and feed your courgette, and know what to do if something looks wrong.
    1. Plant Your Crop
    2. Keep It Growing
    3. What If Something Goes Wrong?
  4. 4Harvest and reflectRecognise a genuine first harvest, and reflect honestly on what you learned.
    1. Your First Harvest
    2. What Did This Teach You, and What's Next?

Before you begin

  • Confirmed permission to grow on your patio, particularly if it's rented, shared or communal
  • Knowledge of whether your patio is genuine ground level, or a raised structure needing its own suitability confirmed
  • A suitable container with drainage, and bush courgette seed
  • This course focuses on one project — there's no crop choice to make
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