Everything I Need To Grow Food

anoneemouse

I have a positively teensy backyard and want to grow as much of my own food as possible. There is about enough room to "swing a cat" (really need better phrase than that one - but you know what I mean!).

I have JUST enough room I figure to put in 2 of the Link-a-Board containers (ie readymade plastic "bed" type containers). This will give me approx 10 square feet of food-growing space (have read somewhere that that is enough for a single person to produce a substantial amount of what they need). With a tiny bit of space left for the small table and 2 chairs set I already have.

1. Can I put these containers full of soil straight down on my concrete paving (doesnt seem to be any option - that size doesnt have any bases and I cant even consider taking up the paving). Will that be okay for drainage,etc purposes (these are not like pot plant containers one can put little "feet" under!)

2. I'm assuming the grand sum total of what I need to buy to get myself off the ground is these 2 containers/bags of compost/a set of bokashi bins (to make my own organic plantfood) and, in my case, some tiny starter foodplants (rather than packets of seeds).

I need to make everything as easy as possible for myself (lack of time because of having to do full-time job) - hence the no seeds bit - and as space-efficient as possible because its so tiny a backyard.

3. Could I re-use the same compost every year - provided I am "religious" about application of bokashi plant food and mixed in a lot of that organic rock mineral type stuff (cant remember what its called) at the beginning of each "season".

(NB: I just dont have the room to even consider any form of compost bin and worms are right out of consideration. Its going to be all I can do to find space for my bokashi bins - as my kitchen is also tiny and the utility room/garage/conservatory are conspicuous by their absence)

alanobrien

1) Yes but you will limit what you can grow to the depth of the containers

2) You dont "need" bokashi bins, in fact i prefer a wormery as it provides liquid plant food as well as solid, these can happily live outside, but its a personal choice.

3) Yes as long as you observe basic crop rotation rules.

Zazen999

Hi.
Have you bought the link-a-boards yet; if not look at alternatives first.
Before that; what are you hoping to grow?
Personally, and that's all I can give; I would buy cheap plastic storage containers rather than link a board; mainly so that you can grow root veg as the link-a-boards will limit your depth. Also, as you can then grow root veg in the same actual soil, at the same time as veg such as toms and beans and lettuce; it gives you more scope. Esp if you want to throw a few potatoes in.

For example - using a plastic container about a foot deep:
in some soil, sow 3 of each; peas, beans, onions, carrots, toms, courgettes. The peas/beans grow up first, then the carrots/onions start and grow down. Then the toms start to catch up with the peas. by the time the peas are fruiting, the toms are flowering and the courgettes are just taking off. Sometimes, it is best to put the courgettes in later if it is a cold spring. Whilst all this is going on, the carrots and onions are happily growing down. Once the peans and beans are done, cut them down and the courgettes and toms can be tied to the stakes [sorry, put four stakes in the corners and tie them at the top - together]. These will then fruit for alot of the summer and once they are done, the carrots and onions should be either ready or can be left until they are.
Fertilise weekly, and water daily in warm/hot weather.
Add a Tagetes in one corner for pest control [companion planting].

You can do this with all sorts of mixtures, depending on what you like. I do summer veg boxe as above; or indian ones with onions, garlic, coriander, peas, cucumbers and toms; or italian ones with onions, garlic, basil, toms, yellow courgetttes, and sometimes add a brocolli in various ones for an autumn crop.

Basic rule is don't put brocolli/cabbage plants in the same soil in consecutive years; and keep toms and pots away from each others you should be ok. Crop rotation is ok if you have the space, but where it is tight sometimes you just have to do what you can.

anoneemouse

Thanks for that - wouldnt have thought of that doing 3 things at once. Am thinking along lines of mainly assorted salad leave type things, also tomatoes, peppers/aubergines/courgettes would be good. Various other optional extras would be things like basil, garlic, peas, potatoes. Definitely salad stuff takes precedence in my mind though.

Zazen999

Well, you are in luck as salad stuff can be grown year round; I picked a lettuce just last week. Aubergines; can't comment on but it's worth a try.

RAS

Zazen has some great ideas.

With a very small amount of growing space, it is a good idea to grow some vertical plants and some "roots" so that you make maximum use of the limited area. Whether your vertical plants are tomotoes - make sure you get a cordon variety -, mangetout peas or climbing french beans, they can all go in a salad or one sort or another. A large bucket will give you a few portions of salad potatoes (3 seed tats to set low in the bucket and filled up as they grow).

If you are inventive you can grow lots of winter salads as well - Joy Larkcom has an excellent list of winter stuff in her vegetables book. I find the following self seed if allowed - land cress, lamb's lettuce/mache/corn salad, rocket. You can add welsh onion for winter salad onions and "chives"; salad onions are usually OK at this time of year but can get a bit slimy in the late winter. I picked all of these yesterday despite the fact that the ground has been frozen solid for the last week.

Buy a single courgette plant and it will give you loads if you plant it in a deep enough container, but allow for a 90cm spread and spiky leaf stalks.

meanmarie

We did some Square foot gardening this year and were very pleased with our 4X4 feet boxes ( no bottom) that OH made from scrap timber...originally pallets which were taken apart and pressure treated with preservative. I think that the web site is https://www.squarefootgardening.com and we got lots of information. We covered the gravel with newspaper/cardboard as advised and have been very pleased with carrots, salad leaves, radishes, corn salad, mustard and cress we harvested and are still harvesting....we came across a salad mix called oriental mix and it was brilliant

Good luck with your gardening

marie

OddjobKIA

Um with a little DIY could you shelf out the area making 20 square foot of growing space. put evrything into containers and rotate top to bottom on a weekly basis.

Also increase the size of your windowsills out side with a simple bracket. and grow toms on them