The even bigger and better and hopefully not lower bits of growing your own in 2022!

Indigo_and_Violet

Suffolk_lass said:

I would put your storage in the shadiest place in the garden, rather than out front. You could then put up window boxes that sit in a frame or on a shelf, attached to your wall and grow sunny herbs interspersed with flowers (marjoram [aka oregano], thyme, basil, maybe rosemary) and put a couple of trug-type planters on the ground (thinking builders trugs with holes in the bottom, not expensive veg trugs). You could companion plant maybe put sweet peas and runner beans on a frame in one, and under-plant with marigolds to distract pests, mixing flowers (annuals) with veg like salad leaves in different colours is good (add some breakfast radishes which grow quickly too) they will look pretty, are inexpensive and your neighbours might like the smell! Potatoes grow well in these too (from experience!)

My rhubarb does grow under an old apple tree but another clump in more sun does do better (but is in danger of being too assertive) so I would say don't worry about the shade, just provide a bit of shelter and it will help contain it. The most important things are not to cover the crowns with compost but do enrich the soil as they are greedy.

Good luck, keep posting

Morning! Thanks for this. By storage boxes I mean using large clear boxes as a makeshift greenhouse. Something like a Really Useful Box with a few holes drilled into in, lashed together with some bike locks in the hope it would be less attractive to thieves than a mini greenhouse. Attaching stuff to the wall is tricky as it would breach the terms of the lease we say we can't have any permanent structures out there. 

And yes, we've had success with plastic trugs this year so the plan is to add a few more. 

Will have a detailed read of your fence advice later. It's got patio at the bottom of it so anything coming up from the ground would need (more) planters/growbags.

Finger crossed for everyone who already has stuff outside that it stays in place today. 

ancientmum

Just popping in to say that my local Asda has their own brand basic veg seeds for 50p a packet.  Not much choice, but it might help someone.

carinjo

Indigo_and_Violet 
Attaching stuff to the wall is tricky as it would breach the terms of the lease we say we can't have any permanent structures out there. 

Last year we attached bamboo poles, plastic mesh and metal mesh all with cable ties to the fence posts. End of season just took it all down with a pair of pliers.  The fence is quite high, so put the planters on a couple of pallets underneath the mesh.
 Regarding the builder's trug: does one raise it with say a couple of bricks to help the drainage? I assume a few holes drilled into the bottom too. If i can get enough cheap compost, would love to try this idea. 

Indigo_and_Violet

carinjo said:

Indigo_and_Violet 
Attaching stuff to the wall is tricky as it would breach the terms of the lease we say we can't have any permanent structures out there. 

Last year we attached bamboo poles, plastic mesh and metal mesh all with cable ties to the fence posts. End of season just took it all down with a pair of pliers.  The fence is quite high, so put the planters on a couple of pallets underneath the mesh.
 Regarding the builder's trug: does one raise it with say a couple of bricks to help the drainage? I assume a few holes drilled into the bottom too. If i can get enough cheap compost, would love to try this idea. 

Alas, there's not a fence out the front - just a rendered wall. Think generously proportioned front yard bounded by waist-height brick walls on three sides and our rendered house at the back. 

We put 6 or 7 holes in the bottom of each and raised them on a breeze block. To be honest the breeze block is partly just to get them into better light. I am very non-expert in this area but since they're on a patio that doesn't get pools of water, excess liquid not being held by the soil should just drain out. And if the soil is holding too much water that's a different problem. Most of the container gardens I peak into near me don't have anything under their pots. 

MovingForwards

@carinjo I use plastic storage boxes, drill holes in and put bricks under each side. It's how I grew one batch of strawberries before shifting them into the garden.

I'm looking to get more boxes on the go this year, along with gorilla buckets.

MissRikkiC

Well everyone. The moment you’ve all been waiting for!! I can confirm I have potatoes 🥳🥳🥳🥳 I’d like to attach the picture but actually have no idea how!

MissRikkiC

Here they are! There’s a chance I planted too many too close together! 

carinjo

Congrats @MissRikkiC!

Suffolk_lass

They are the prefect size @MissRikkiC

@carinjo
I would pop Black plastic builders' trugs on three bricks so they drain with holes in the bottom (I say black but that assumes you might want potatoes in them at some point as the roots and tubers need to be dark). they last longer than potato growing bags and can be reused.

If you do grow potatoes don't fill the trug to begin with as it will leave room to earth them up later. And use fresh compost each year if it is potatoes or tomatoes (unless you let the tubers of runner beans stay in the trugs over winter, in which case just top up with compost as the nitrogen will help

MissRikkiC

I can’t tell if you’re joking @Suffolk_lass as some are really tiny 😂 I can’t even remember what seed potatoes I bought but can only assume they were a type of salad potatoes given their size. 

Yes c@carinjo don’t fill the bags too much with compost until they start growing their foliage! This is exactly what I did and won’t be doing the same this year!