digging deep and going green

pretz_2

Well Hi :wave:

I'm completely new on this board but now I have moved and finally have some outdoor space I can now get to grips with going green, however I have completely no idea of where to start and what to do or even when to do it :eek:

I have claimed a small area of 11"7 x 4"1 area of my balcony from the kids and would love to use the space to grow vegetables and herbs with them (hopefully)

the area according to my compass is south facing


and as stated is tiny


I know its not going to be everything and more the first time round and that I'm facing a lot of :wall:but I'm hoping that something will be a success so I can at least have a crazy :dance: at the sight of something green growing out there.

So please help where do I start, what do I need and can I really grow veg is this tiny area????

tied in knots and willing to learn
pretz

DaftyDuck

It's not a large area, but being sheltered and south facing, have you considered fruit instead? Miniature apple/pear trees, lemons... that kind of thing. If you want more produce, try tomatoes, courgettes, chilli peppers...

You may get more calories and fibre by growing carrots and potatoes in pots, but the scent of a lemon tree on a summer's night wafting in on the warm breeze, gin glass in hand with ice and a home-grown slice....

Oh, herbs as well. Mint, sage, parsley, thyme, rosemary... Go 3-dimensional with a pyramid planter, and you can have three or four tiers of herb plants.... A few small plants in baskets from the ceiling, a few half-moon pots on the wall....

So, for cheap starters, Aldi should be coming out with lemon trees in about three weeks... normally around £15 for fairly decent small trees with six to ten lemons on... They will also sell you a pyramid planter for a tenner, and herb seeds galore. A garden centre will also supply all of these, but it might cost twice as much...

pretz_2

Thank you so much, I hadn't thought about fruit trees although I have spoken to the kids and they have given me a "wishlist" which I know not all is sorted to the area which ones would work and most importantly fit :rotfl:

chives
tomatoes
basil
carrots
spring onions
peppers
peas
green beans
cucumbers
spinach
coriander
chard
lettuce
strawberries
watermelon
potatoes

now I know this is a huge list but we would be quite happy to have small crops and more variety if that makes sense

lostinrates

pretz wrote: »

Thank you so much, I hadn't thought about fruit trees although I have spoken to the kids and they have given me a "wishlist" which I know not all is sorted to the area which ones would work and most importantly fit :rotfl:

chives
tomatoes
basil
carrots
spring onions
peppers
peas
green beans
cucumbers
spinach
coriander
chard
lettuce
strawberries
watermelon
potatoes

now I know this is a huge list but we would be quite happy to have small crops and more variety if that makes sense

Of all of those I personally would go with tomatoes (which I've grown in similar spaces to great results), strawberries (again, been fantastic in similar situations) lettuce, chard, coriander, spinach, basil and chives.

Herbs are expensive for what you get at shops, Easy to grow and nice to have on a balcony. The salads and peas will be easy and fresh.

Otherthings.....in season are cheap at shops. I'd be looking at using your space well for ease and money as well as enjoyment.

Potatoes? It might be a nice novelty crop, but for the time and effort IMO, I think I'd rather buy them and use the space for more fruit.

pretz_2

lostinrates - thats a brilliant help and now I can kind of see what we will get from the space

DaftyDuck

OK; I've ordered your list to the priority I'd give it. I'd still stick a lemon tree in the mix for style and scent. I'd consider a miniature apple or pear (you can get nectarine, apricot, plum, cherry etc) for structure & fun... I've added a * for fragrant while growing, a + for easy to get a good crop and an ^ for pretty plants. Others might disagree

Black and redcurrant bushes? Give a good crop, plants very pretty, and plants smell lovely.


*+^tomatoes (yes, excellent crop, easy, rewarding, delicious)
*+^basil (~purple ..smells good, goes with tomatoes, can be very pretty)
*^strawberries (especially everlasting type... small, but long cropper...may be disappointing)
^peppers (though I'd do +^chilli instead... prettier, more fun, better results)
*+^chives & *coriander (versatile & tasty, I'd add *+^rosemary, *+^sage & *+^mint)
+spring onions (go well with above, can grow in dense crop)
^cucumbers (fun, can be more difficult than toms, smaller crop)
+^lettuce (easy, versatile, but take up space... salad greens, Mizuna maybe)
carrots (take space, can be problematic, can fail)
green beans (+French beans make best use of space)
peas (not so good - need a large area)
spinach (takes too much space I'd say)
+^chard (again, space may be a problem, though Swiss Chard is pretty & colourful)
watermelon (HUGE plants, need lots of water, and I'd grow *melons instead if that way inclined... )
potatoes (as said, if you have a spare acre or two... just not worth it for reward or result)


Homebase and Blackmoor nursuries do patio friot trees (that's where I got mine). A google search brings others up, like here and Blackmoor but £££.

My Homebase ones were £14ish full price, but I got them half price (pear & apple £2 because some @%^& had vandalised them :mad:), so that might be worth a look...

pretz_2

wow thank you so much dafty this is all stuff i would never thought about and will definitely write all this down

I_have_spoken

Tomatoes in a grow bag but every chance of blight, maybe strawberries in a planter but will need netting from birds and herbs.

Other veg, non-starter IMHO, it'll be far, far cheaper to get from the market and you can get vitamin D just be sitting in the sun! You won't have the depth of soil for root veg and keeping others watered regularly will be a 'mare

annie123

Do your children like cherries? my tree last summer http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=62372293&postcount=911
It's in an 18" wide pot and would love your balcony.

chives........yes easy to grow
tomatoes....yes easy to grow but keep them near the front to get lots of sun and fresh air around them
basil............yes
carrots........I wouldn't bother with
spring onions....yes
peppers........sweet peppers you'll grow them but you'll only get a small crop and not worth it IMHO
peas...........yes a few in a tub early spring will be OK then when they've finished sow something else in there
green beans....yes grow anywhere providing they get sun, may not be the biggest crop but they're tasty and pretty too
cucumbers.......yes
spinach...........yes, but not in midday sun at the height of the summer
coriander.........Yes
chard.............yes
lettuce ..........cut and come again in good. I move mine to shade between June and Sept or they bolt.
strawberries.....yes a pot or two hanging from that rail should be fine
watermelon .......unless you have beginners luck, no
potatoes.........Yes, get yourself some firstearly seed spuds 99p store will do, and a container or bag (google is your friend for potato container ideas, loads of pictures) make sure there is drainage. Chit your potatoes early Feb, and follow instructions here:http://www.growveg.com/growblogpost.aspx?id=231
They'll be in your tummy in June and the space could then have cucumbers in the space.

seemasfriend

It might be worth giving some thought to how you maximise the growing space. Window boxes to hang over the balcony taking planting outside the boundary, hanging baskets, tiered stands etc. i believe you can also use the walls for vertical grow bags.will see if I can find you a link so you can see what I mean.

seemasfriend

Some inspirational ideas on here. I particularly love the way they have hung pop bottles as plant pots. It might take a while to load as there are dozens of pictures but worth the wait.

http://www.stylemotivation.com/22-amazing-vertical-garden-ideas-for-your-small-yard/