My fingers are still white - and I live in a flat!

Silaqui

Hi there,

I have been skimming the threads on here (lots of experts!) and so I do apologise if this has been posted before.

I would like to start to grow my own veg, and this year I managed parsley, chillis and lettuce with the help of my dad (well he did the growing really - I just stole a pot off him!). This year I really want to try and do it myself. The only problem is, I live in a flat. It is a ground floor flat so I have got a bit of outdoor space - a patio that is about 3 foot by 4, and somewhere that I can keep pots. Nothing that would resemble a 'bed' though, and it would all be exposed to the elements - no greenhouse or real sheltered areas. I have also got a windowsill but it gets virtually no sun at all and tends to be quite cold.

I know the VERY basics of gardening - but that is literally that I have to keep things watered, so any advice in baby speak please .

Would it be possible for me to grow potatoes, tomatoes, or carrots or anything like that, without any groundspace? Maybe in an upturned growbag or something? Any advice or suggestions would be gratefully received.

Thanks,
Silaqui
x

Penny_Farthing_2

Hi Silaqui
Yes you can grow lots if you have decent light on your patio.

The thing to watch when you get tomato plants/seeds is that the variety is suitable to grow outdoors. You can easily get Gardener's Delight (tall plant-utterly delicious) or there are lots of 'tumbling' varieties that will grow in hanging baskets and give you lots of little fruit.

You can grow the tall types in growbags (put 1 on top of the other and cut through so the roots can get into the bottom bag - more compost/goodness/water means better crops).

You can buy a big bag of compost, get 2/3 of the compost out and store it. Roll the sides of the bag down so you have made a pot. Put seed potatoes in the bottom and as they grow, put more compost in so the baby spuds don't get exposed to the light and go green (poisonous). Keep doing this until you've topped the bag right up. When the plan has stopped flowering. Harvest your potatoes.

More in a mo.

Penny_Farthing_2

Just thinking and you can grow the following stuff and much more in pots. Carrots - go for seeds that will give a fat shallow root or are good as baby carrots. Rocket will be great most of the year. Strawberries are good in pots. Cut and come again lettuce are good because you take leaves from them and they just grow more. You can even get apple trees that will grow in a patio pot. The list is endless really.

What I find is that it's best to grow what you love to eat and is also expensive to buy. For example, on my new patch, I'm growing asparagus rather than carrots because even organic carrots are not extortionate to buy. I did try growing some but I couldn't taste the difference. Asparagus I will grow because I'd never pay what's charged in the shops. Also I will always prefer the taste of my own fresh salad leaves over the stuff in a bag. Potatoes-I can't taste the difference.

Why not get a copy of the Thompson and Morgan seed catalogue to give you ideas? You can buy in mini plants if you don't want to grow from seed.

Best of luck.

Silaqui

Thanks Penny,

Thats a good idea actually about growing the stuff that I don't want to pay for - I will have to have a think and see what I would like to give a try. Might keep it simple for the first year though! I might well try tomatoes though, I much prefer home grown toms to supermarket ones. A silly question - do I plant seeds to grow tomatoes? (by that I mean I can't just plant a tomato like you can with potatoes :rotfl: told you I was a noob!) I assume if I go to a garden centre the packets of seeds will tell me the best times for planting etc?

Regarding the potatoes in the compost bag - when can I do this? I'm guessing it's best to wait untill after it's stopped being quite so cold?
Also, do the starter potatoes that I put in need to be slightly covered with compost? Or just lay them on the top and wait for them to sprout before covering over?

Sorry for all the questions! Thanks for your time and help!
x

teetee_2

this site might help you http://www.gardenersworld.com/

noonesperfect

Re tomatoes - do you know anyone who might have the odd spare plant they can give you? If you haven't much room there's not much point in buying a whole packet of seeds. Make sure you choose a compact variety, tomatoes can take up a helluva lot of space!!!!

Our local hardware store are currently selling two-packs of potato growing bags which would be ideal. My friend bought some, not me! Heavyweight material with eyelet holes in the bottom, handles and flaps on the sides so you can see how your crop is coming along. You might be able to find something similar near you. Wilko sell packs of 5 seed potatoes in various varieties, enough for you perhaps.

I don't think spring onions mind not having alot of sun......

This site has some good advice too

http://www.rhs.org.uk/vegetables/crops/potato.asp
http://www.rhs.org.uk/Advice/profiles0506/potatoespots.asp
http://www.rhs.org.uk/vegetables/crops/tomatoes.asp

PS probably not a good idea to grow potatoes and tomatoes close to each other though, as they belong to the same family and the same diseases affect both i.e. blight.

InDebted2U_2

Am planning to start growing veg myself this year, and was also thinking along the lines of 'grow what's most expensive to buy' as well as only growing what I know the family will eat! Although I have plenty of outdoor space (no greenhouse/suitable windowsills though), I'm thinking of creating some raised beds/container gardening to make it easier for me to cope with. Complete beginner here too, so all advice appreciated.

White potatoes seem to be 'cheap as chips'(!) so is there much to be gained from growing spuds? I was also under the impression they are prone to all sorts of nasties? Does container gardening help to avoid this, and which varieties are good to grow/eat if not outweighed by cost?

Particularly interested in growing beans and seeds, as we eat/use a lot of those (veggie household), so can anyone recommend any that grow well in the UK? I've got a lovely south-facing fence I was planning on training them up, although it's not very wide, but perhaps I could have several rows at different heights?

Silaqui

Thanks for all your help everyone. I might well be able to get various plants and seeds of other people - my dad is a keen gardener and my other source of advice! Thanks for the RHS website, that is really useful actually have just had a look. There are even special pages devoted to growing in container so will study that later when I get time.

I didn't know that spuds and toms were the same family, wow you learn something new every day!
xx

ceridwen

On that point - ie of tomatoes and potatoes being in the same family - ie dont grow them too close together because of the possibility of blight:

- How far apart should tomatoes and potatoes be if one wants to grow both?

I ask because I am hoping to grow both and only have a tiny back garden - so am sitting there thinking: would 6' apart be okay or does it need to be 10' or 20' etc?

nodwah

Ceridwen don't worry about how far apart they are - the blight spores are floating about in the air and will land on them regardless - it's more down to how wet the summer is whether they get affected or not.

Just don't grow them in the same compost next year if poss - but to be honest I often do and it's very wet here and I get away with it!

Emielou

A lot of gardening magazines give away seeds between now and April, so you would get seeds as well as advice in a magazine. A specific veg' growing magazine like Grow Your Own or Kitchen Garden might be most useful.