Basement flat/back yard - Help me with my growing plan!

mightytev

Hi guys, got a situation I could use some help with so any advice is very much appreciated.

I live in a basement flat in Manchester . I've got a small window in my room, and there are a few other windows we could potentially grow stuff near, as long as the cat doesn't bother them. We also have a smallish though fair sized back yard (think your typical Manchester terrace - exactly like the terraces on Corrie) that we share with upstairs, but they never use it. It gets a decent bit of sun.

We've got the contract on the flat until the end of next June. We may stay on for an extra year but don't know yet.

I want to start growing veg for the two of us to eat. Any ideas, suggestions, etc? Only stuff in pots/grow bags etc, and might grow chillis etc on the window sill, and watercress under the sink. I plan on starting a spreadsheet in google docs to keep track on planting times/when stuff is ready to be eaten - I'll also take photos and stuff to share my experiences.

What stuff is good to plant in what months? What stuff is quick? What stuff is versatile?

Thanks very much in advance.

mightytev

No takers?

I figure I'll plant winter lettuce in the yard to start off with, maybe some chillies on the window ledge. Beyond that, I'm stuck!

Principia_2

I'm just a novice myself but chillis usually need to be sown in Jan/Feb and planted out in Juneish (depending on the weather). If you're looking for a hot chilli then I think they need a long hot summer - we're just starting to pick ours in Aug.

I think you might have the same problem as me though - very little growing space. The little seedlings are fine but as they get bigger, I find I run out of windowsill space (tiny garden and no room for any size greenhouse )

I think you can plant out garlic in Nov for harvest the following year but I've never tried this.

I think your main problem though is that you've missed the main growing season this year and unless you know for sure if you are going to stay in your place next summer, you'll miss the main cropping time then (July/Aug) too.

Hopefully some more experienced growers will have some good ideas for you

wssla00

The only way to grow is to think what ingredients you use the most and grow them. I have found the most cost effective things for me are the following:
-Herbs
-Salad veg including spring onions, cucumbers, lettuce, rocket, fancy salad leaves etc
-Tomatoes for all the different types
-Chillies
-Dwarf french beans
-Flowers for cuttings
-Mangetout/sugarsnap peas
-Spinach
-Soft fruit- raspberries, strawberries etc

So the only way to do it is to see what you use the most and then grow from there.

JayneC

He there,

You might be in time to plant some carrots and spring onions? You can plant them in troughs if you've no soil. I've got a similar back yard but have sacrificed most of it to grow food - have a small table and couple of chairs outside the back door and then a path down to the bottom which is half garden half chicken coop (Just got 2 chicks) and have managed to get quiite a bit in - including 2 apple trees and a pear tree, one apple tree is being trained along the fence the other I'm keeping the branches quite short so it doesn't take over. They'll probably get too big eventually but I'll get a few years from them. I then have raspberries aginst the opposite fence with strawberies underneath. I've got lots of tomatoe plants mostly in pots, a cougette, a cucumber, leeks (onions were there eralier in the year)_a few broccoli, a salad bowl (cut and come again leaves), rocket, celery (in pots), hanging baskets with strawberries and nasturtium. I grew salad potatoes in chimney pots earlier in the year and the rest is mostly herbs. Also have a tiny bit of garden out the front (typical terrace garden) and have some rhubarb, a blackcurrant, goosberry bush and more herbs. I'll try to post some pics. HTH