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Walter's Cold Back YardThe Cold Back Yard · 2026See the offer

Pots, buckets and one small greenhouse, from an old allotment hand

Grow Food Every Month of the Year, Even in a Small, Cold Yard.

October is garlic month: it needs one to two months of cold to make a proper bulb, the RHS says. Here's what to plant now in pots and buckets, how to keep salad coming from an unheated greenhouse all winter, and a month-by-month plan for short, frosty seasons.

Walter
Walter40 years on a Northumberland allotmentFrom the Walter's Cold Back Yard YouTube channel

From the Walter's Cold Back Yard YouTube channel

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Checked against RHS, Met Office and gov.uk advice

  • You've got a small yard, a patio or a sunny windowsill, and you've been told you can't grow much up north.
  • Your knees or back won't do an allotment any more, but you'd still like to grow your own.
  • You want fresh salad, garlic and potatoes from pots, without spending much.

Not for you if you want to be self-sufficient. A 4-metre yard won't feed a family for a year, and the book says so.

No. IWhy I wrote it

"You've Got a Yard. Grow Something in It."

At 70 my knees gave out, and the walk to the allotment got too long. I sat about for most of a winter feeling sorry for myself.

The yard was grey flagstones, a wheelie bin, two pots of geraniums and a greenhouse full of junk. Forty years of leeks and potatoes, and now nothing.

Then our lass, Irene, pointed at the back yard. "You've got a yard," she said. "Grow something in it."

Behind an old fork by the water butt I found a builders' bucket. That bucket grew my first garlic.

Three years on, I pick something to eat in every month of the year. Not a lot in January, mind. But something.

No. IIThe cold-yard rules

Walter's 5 Rules for a Cold Yard

  1. Go by your own frost, not the calendar. A seed packet doesn't know where you live.
  2. A bucket with holes beats a bed you can't reach. Small and close gets looked after.
  3. Label everything. Measure twice. Write the name and the date. You will not remember.
  4. Little and often. Ten minutes a day beats a whole Saturday once a month.
  5. Nothing wasted. Leaves become leaf mould, peelings become compost, old buckets become pots.

No. IIIA real page from the book

Try One Page Free, This Week

Free page · try it tonight
Chapter 4 · The Autumn Sowing ListThe Cold Back Yard · 2026

Garlic in a bucket

Garlic is the easiest crop in this book. A builders' bucket holds four or five cloves. Buy seed garlic, not supermarket garlic: shop garlic may not suit our climate, and it can carry disease into your yard.

  1. Pick a deep pot, at least 25cm deep. A builders' bucket is ideal, drilled and stood on bricks.
  2. Fill it with peat-free compost. Multi-purpose is fine.
  3. Split the bulb the day you plant. Biggest cloves, pointy end up, about 15cm apart, tips about 2.5cm under.
  4. Water in, then leave it. Over winter the rain often does the watering. Check in dry spells.
39

Where this comes from: the RHS says most garlic needs one to two months at 0 to 10°C, pots at least 25cm deep, and advises against planting supermarket garlic.

That's one page. Every chapter is built like it: a moment from my yard, what's going on, the jobs in numbered steps, and a This Week list.

Print this page free (PDF, no email needed) Get the Book + Planner · £27Get the Book · £37

No. IVWhat's inside

What's Inside The Cold Back Yard

10 chapters in 4 parts, 106 pages, with simple drawings and cards to print. Plain words, UK months, large print included.

  • Why a small, cold yard can beat a big, warm one, and how to read your own sun, shelter and frost pockets.p. 13
  • Containers for nothing: builders' buckets, washing-up bowls and storage boxes, drilled and ready.p. 20
  • Compost and leaf mould for nothing, from peelings, cardboard and a bin bag of leaves.p. 28
  • The autumn sowing list: garlic, onion sets, broad beans, winter salad and spring cabbage.p. 37
  • The unheated greenhouse through winter: bubble wrap, fleece, airing and watering in the cold.p. 47
  • Potatoes in containers, including a bucket or two for Christmas.p. 59
  • Salad and herbs on a windowsill or in a window box.p. 67
  • Fruit in tubs: strawberries, rhubarb and a gooseberry bush in pots.p. 75
  • Pests, frost and wind, including slugs without pellets.p. 84
  • The month-by-month northern planner: what to sow, plant and pick in a cold yard.p. 94

With the welcome deal you also get The Cold Back Yard Planner free. Every order includes five printable bonus cards and The Greenhouse Door Cards.

No. V · 2026 Edition · Digital ebook

Everything You Get TodayEverything You Get

Digital PDF, print it at home, nothing is mailed.

What you getIncluded
The Cold Back YardThe whole book: 10 chapters in 4 parts, 106 pages, with drawings and cards to print.Included
The Cold Back Yard Planner FREEA 12-month workbook for your pots, buckets and unheated greenhouse, with the seed tin, a container register and your year in review. Large print included. Free with the welcome deal.FREE
The Seed Tin PlannerThe whole year on one page: what to sow, plant and pick each month.Included
The Frost Night CardThe teatime check for a frost, and what to cover before bed.Included
Slugs Without PelletsWhat works on slugs without pellets that harm pets and wildlife.Included
The Free Compost CardGreens, browns and leaf mould in a bin bag.Included
The Windowsill Salad PlanThe two-tray rotation for leaves and pea shoots.Included
The Greenhouse Door CardsThe 12-month sowing grid and the container size chart, to pin up.Included
Large-print editionBigger type, same book.Included
Regular price£37
You pay today£27£37
You save today£10

One payment, no subscription. Prices include VAT where it applies.

Why only £27? It's my welcome price for first-time visitors. For 15 minutes from your first visit, you get the book and the free planner for £27. After that, the page shows the book on its own for the regular £37.

The welcome price has ended. £37 is the regular price. One payment, and the 30-day money-back promise still covers you.

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What happens after you tap the button

  1. Pay on Stripe's secure page. Card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, about a minute.
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  3. Start today. Read on your phone, tablet or computer, or print the checklists.

What Readers Say

No. VI · A note from Walter

My 30-Day Money-Back Promise

Read it. Plant a bucket of garlic this week. Do the sun diary on the next bright day.

If it doesn't help, reply to your receipt email (or use the contact page) within 30 days, and you'll get every penny back.

No forms, no questions. This promise is on top of your legal rights.

WalterThe Cold Back Yard · 2026
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No. VIIAbout the author

Who's Writing This

Walter
Walter40 years on a Northumberland allotment
Go by your own frost, not the calendar.

I'm Walter. I was born in Wallsend, on the Tyne, and spent my working life as an electrician wiring ships. For about 40 years I had an allotment up in Northumberland.

At 70 my knees gave out and the walk to the allotment got too long. Now I grow in a back yard 4 metres from the kitchen step to the back wall: mostly flagstones, a six-by-eight lean-to greenhouse and a water butt by the drainpipe.

I'm not a professional. I've lost more crops than I can count, to frost, slugs, pigeons and plain forgetfulness. Where I wasn't sure of a fact, I checked it against the best UK gardening and weather advice I could find. Where it's just my way, I say so.

Walter

No. VIIIQuestions

Common Questions

Is a paper copy mailed to me?

No. It's a digital PDF you read on your phone, tablet or computer, or print at home. Large-print editions are included.

I'm not good with computers. How do I get it?

The page you see after paying has a big download button, and an email brings the same button a few minutes later.

Do I need a greenhouse?

No. A small cold one helps, and the book shows how to get the most from it. But a sunny windowsill and a few buckets by the house wall will still feed you something every month.

I'm in the south. Will the months suit me?

The months are for the UK. I garden in the cold North East, so I go at the cold end. Further south you can often start a bit sooner in spring and carry on a bit later in autumn.

Why is there a tick-box before I pay?

You normally have 14 days to cancel an online purchase. For a download you get straight away, that right ends once the download starts, so the law asks you to agree first. My 30-day money-back promise still applies.

Is it safe to pay here?

Yes. The button takes you to Stripe's secure checkout, so your card details never touch this page.

Why is it £27 now and £37 later? What is the timer?

£27 is my welcome price for your first 15 minutes here, and it includes the free planner. After that the page shows £37 for the book on its own, with the bonus cards and large print. Reloading doesn't restart the clock.

What if it's not for me?

Reply to your receipt within 30 days for a full refund. No questions.

No. IXYour decision

It's October. Get the Garlic In.

A clove planted this month has weeks to root before the hard cold. One planted in late December just sits there.

You don't need a big garden or a warm one. A bucket, a bag of compost and a pencil will do to start.

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P.S. Not sure yet? Try the free page above. My 30-day promise covers you either way.

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