New ... with lots of questions

[MiniGardeness]

Hi everyone ... I live in a ground floor flat and needless to say, space as at an absolute minimum.

All I've got at the moment is the little walkway type thing out the back of my flat (about 2ft wide) and lucky for me, as I am at the end I have a very very small patch at the side of my house ... downside is it's pretty sheltered so not much sun.

I've got a tiny 2 tier "greenhouse" which I use for my seedlings and another 2 open shelves from another greenhouse that died in the strong winds.

I'd like to grow more stuff, but can't have the place looking too unsightly as there are complainers around.

Can anyone suggest any really good space saving tips and a way to make small space look presentable?

Sorry it's such a long one

[Lesley Jay]

Hi MiniG!! Welcome to our forum!

Space saving? Tricky, but hanging baskets for tumbling tomatoes with basil planted in the top and also hanging baskets for strawberries. Window boxes for salad leaves and spring onions. If you have a back door then you could have a pot on either side with trellis or an obelisk and grow climbing french beans, runner beans or a climbing squash. It would look great around the doorway.

[MiniGardeness]

Thanks for the advice, never thought of the trellis ... great idea.

Can't wait for my seeds to start sprouting ... hopefully if I get things looking decent I'll post some pics.

So nice to find a forum that accepts people with non existant gardens.

Sorry, but got another question ... anyone know of veg that don't need a lot of direct sunlight? That way, I can plant it around the side.

Thanks again

[Moyra]

Its just a thought but is there anyway that you could position a large mirror to capture whatever sunlight you do get and project it onto that sideway? It might help a bit to lighten it up. Not sure how shaded it is to be able suggest anything in the way of vegetables as if it is very dark then anything will probably grow leggy looking for light.

[TPeers]

Not many cultivated veg.... you need to look for crops that come from a woodland or forest background... so....

Raspberries, strawberries, currants of all types will crop in shade. Runner beans should produce a crop if you can keep them well enough watered and fed. Leaf beet (perpetual spinach) should be ok as will lettuce and peas should be fine as well. Summer radish need shade as does true spinach.

Hope that gives you something to go on - and includes a few you like!