First timer with too many questions..

[sammmm]

Hello all. I'm totally new to growing anything edible. Or anything, really. And totally new to this forum too. This may be your longest ever post, it requires a lengthy (boring) explanation, with lots of lists..

So anyway, I thought I'd amass all the relevant gardening paraphernalia together. In terms of containers, I have:

1 x 18'' green pot
2 x 10'' green pots
2 x 10" brown pots (bit smaller than the green ones for some reason..)
1 x 20" long rectangular pot, only 5 or 6" deep though

and if you're still reading..... I've got an old but clean green paddling pool thing, which could I suppose be converted. It's not very pretty, but that can be arranged. It's also not particularly deep - perhaps only 7-8". Shape of a shamrock, with 3 x 10" or so areas. AND the neighbours are giving 3 additional white long rectangular pots, not sure their sizes, but I think they're bigger than mine.

I also have a "budget propagator" - it's not heated or anything, just a tray of 40 square modules with a raised clear plastic lid. In terms of compost, i have 2 bags of "horse manure compost" and a 24litre bag of "cuttings and seeds". I'm about to take delivery of a composter from the council but that won't be running for a bit.

That's it. I haven't been to the garden centre in a long long time and I've been wanting to grow my own veg and herbs for absolute ages. Unfortunately, my borough has a decades-long list for every allotment site. The garden currently consists of a horrible bowling green lawn and a very decent patio. I haven't got a green house, and I'm not allowed to dig up the ridiculous bowling green.

Anyway, I'm definitely planning on growing potatoes in 3 'gro-sacks' from the Marshalls website, they come with 3 different varieties of potatoes. I'd also like to grow dill, basel, mint, parsley, coriander and chives. I've grown mint before - it seemed to take over everything.

For veg, i'd love to be able to grow onions, shallots, artichokes, courgettes, peas, french beans, leaks, broccoli, brussels sprouts and some types of lettuce. Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and even strawberries would be a real bonus, but from what I've read, pretty unlikely.

I'd really like to be given a reality check. Horrible phrase I know. I can work on my little (little?) container garden for as long as it takes, and theres plenty of places to put the pots if they need to be moved, with different light levels/shelter.

But would it be realistic to be able to grow all of these, from seeds? Which ones will almost certainly need to be grown from bought seedlings, considering my level of inexperience. Which ones won't even grow in a container outside. Which will need the 18" pots, or can go together in the more shallow shamrock pool monstrosity, and which can do with the 10" pots. Are the two types of compost for the different uses, or will either need to be mixed with, say, multipurpose compost?

A lot of questions, but ANY advice will be really really well appreciated. You can even vote in my poll.

Also, one last thing, I'd love to be able to attract some wildlife to the garden. I'm in london, and while we get our fair share of damn foxes as well as congregations of the neighbourhood's cats, we no longer get any birds in the garden, ever, for the last few years. Anyone have any tips for attracting birds and the like?

Thanks again.

[runnerbean]

Welcome to the forum, gosh so many questions, and not enought time to answer, there are two sites you could browse, for plants etc., try www.containerveggiegarden.com and to attract birds and wildlife, try www.wildlifegardener.co.uk, I hope this will help you a bit, borrowing gardening books from the Library, can be helpful too, Good Luck.

[igorina]

hi,

its nice to know someone else has as many questions as me...

i cant offer you any advice from experience but have been researching for ages so will try and help a bit.

as far as i know all the veg you mentioned can be grown in containers. leeks need deeper containers though. strawberries are pretty easy, we had a patch of earth that was like concrete and once dug over planted a few with no compost or anything and we had fruit the same year, these were also in full shade.

the Dobies catalogue has a ladybird house, butterfly feeder and solar powered bug attractor. we didnt get birds in our garden til i had an accident with the rabbit food, it spilt everywhere and i swept it into a pile, then we were popular... Maybe the birds have got used to the cats being there so daren't go in the garden. Dobies also do a cat repellent... i'm sure other places do things like that too but i only have a Dobies catalogue.

have got a couple of books handy so if you want any more info message me and i'll see what they say or i'll give you the titles if you prefer...

hope this helps a bit

[igorina]

Just thought i'd add that this year i'm going to grow about 6-10 different veg and will be buying plants but next year will be growing from seed (maybe).
I don't want to do too much and get put off by all the work, especially when i don't have to!!!

[Nick the Grief]

Hi Sammmm,

err right ... enthusiastic aren't we You can grow quite a bit in containers. The Mini Veg varieties are good as you can plant a bit closer and they give you baby veg ... you know the ones that cost an arm and a leg in supermarkets.

Your herbs are ideal contenders for hanging baskets as they are mediteranean by habit and the essential oils are more concentrated if they are baked in the sun - so you don't need so much as it's concentrated.

Window boxes are good for growing things line Paris market Carrots ( round rather than long and pointy) the foliage looks really good - like a fern and Beetroot - Pablo is a good one - has good looking leaves as well, combine that with Nasturtiums (edible leaves, flowers and the seed can be used as a substitute for capers) you have a pleasant looking edible window box

As to birds, stick a seed feeder up with sunflower hearts you'll get loads but be warned it gets compulsive and will cost a fortune when they all find your garden I reagularly have to fill my big feeder up 2 times a week and it holds 6.5 KGS !!!

[sammmm]

Is manure too heavy for growing all this veg/herbs in?

[kirsty b]

If you are able to get hold of really well rotted manure (2-3yrs old or older), you can plant straight into it as you would compost/soil

[Reweed]

This is only my second year of growing veg. However last year I managed to container grow about 5 years worth of spring onions from seed. They were the best I've ever tasted.

You should definitely add some of those to your list.

[sammmm]

Well i shouldn't be surprised if that manure has been sitting in the bag for 3 years or more, but then i don't think that's what you mean..

I ordered all my seeds in though:

1 x SHALLOTS Red Sun 500g (SHRD)

1 x CRESS Greek (CSGK)

1 x LETTUCE Mixed Lettuces (LEMX)

1 x SALADINI MIX - Lettuce, Endive, Chicory ORGANIC (LESD)

1 x ROCKET Wild (ROLL)

1 x STRAWBERRY Temptation (STTE)

1 x HOT PEPPER Early Jalapeno (CPEJ)

1 x TOMATO Gardeners Delight (TOGD)

1 x TOMATO Tumbling Tom (TOTT)

1 x BRUSSELS SPROUT (Early) Half Tall (BSEH)

1 x BROCCOLI Bordeaux (BRBX)

1 x RUNNER BEAN Hestia (Dwarf) (RBHE)

1 x COURGETTE Defender F1 (CODF)

1 x GARLIC CHIVES (HBGC)

1 x CORIANDER Cilantro (HBCC)

1 x PEPPERMINT (HBPP)

1 x BASIL Sweet Genovese (HBBS)

1 x PARSLEY Plain (PSPL)

1 x DILL (HBDI)

..as well as some nasturtiums, some runner beans, and some seed potatoes. And i got a free bottle of seaweed extract, don't know how good that will be though..

Yes, i know, far too eager..

[sammmm]

I'll see about those spring onions, thanks for the recommendation.

[Lizald]

Hi

Your herbs would probably do quite well in the shamrock thingy - put the mint in a separate pot though or it'll take over.

Sprinkle your lettuce and salad leaf mix at a pinch or two a week through the season - that way, you'll have a constant supply and it won't take up too much space.

Just go for it.

Well done you

Best of luck

Liz

[sammmm]

Thanks to everyone. One last question. How large a container would one need to grow shallots? And how many sets could one grow in that container?

[JAG]

Hi Sammmm!

I am new to this forum but I think we are both in a similar position! I have never grown anything before either but have recently moved into a flat with a fairly large patio so am determined to grow some food in pots! I have consulted with various relatives who seem to think that even I could grow the following:

- spring onions - salad leaves - courgettes - tomatoes - strawberries - radishes - chillies - beetroot - strawberries - potatoes - assorted herbs

Unfortunately I can't provide you with any great knowledge but am happy to pass on any tips for things that work once I get started! I am ordering tomato and strawberry plants, potatoes ready for planting and possibly trying the rest from seed.

I have a general question though- how do you start off so many plants from seed- do you need a proper propagator or a greenhouse?

[fivespud364]

Originally Posted by JAG

Hi Sammmm!

I am new to this forum but I think we are both in a similar position! I have never grown anything before either but have recently moved into a flat with a fairly large patio so am determined to grow some food in pots! I have consulted with various relatives who seem to think that even I could grow the following:

- spring onions - salad leaves - courgettes - tomatoes - strawberries - radishes - chillies - beetroot - strawberries - potatoes - assorted herbs

Unfortunately I can't provide you with any great knowledge but am happy to pass on any tips for things that work once I get started! I am ordering tomato and strawberry plants, potatoes ready for planting and possibly trying the rest from seed.

I have a general question though- how do you start off so many plants from seed- do you need a proper propagator or a greenhouse?

Its difficult from seed indoors unless you have a) some heat but More importantly b) plenty of light if you cannot give seedlings enough light they invarably become leggy thin weak and more likely to succumb to damping off diseases alo if your growing in pots you need to buy varieties that will suit small spaces

If it would help folks i can post a list of suitable varieties for patios on here tomorrow

[JAG]

That would be great- I have been trying to get the ones marked as suitable for pots, but have also bought pretty huge pots for outside.

Would a bright windowsill provide enough light to germinate seeds (once the sun reappears again!)

[Livebait]

I've personally had luck container growing, Celebrity Tomatoes, Roma Tomotoes, many types of Peppers, Many kinds of Lettuces, spinach and herbs, Brocolli, and Cauliflower. All were started from seeds.

Go for it and good luck!

[Faolan]

Hello, I have had a vegie garden for 6 years now. I have always kept herbs growing in a box (about 12 years now), that is about 8" (maybe a bit deeper) by 3' and have successfully grown sage, oregano, parsley, chive, lemon thyme, thyme, basil, cilantro and other herbs through the years. I transplanted my sage, pepermint, lavinder, lemon thyme, lemon balm and oregano to semi-shade beds last year and they all came back even bigger this year. (Most of my plants came back in the box even in our cold MI winters). We have grown a cherri tomato by the name of "sweet 100" in a large container by our front door for the last 3 years, every day there are so many we can't eat them all, last summer we had donor tomato plants growing in my flower beds. I don't know if this variety is available in the UK but it is the highest yeilding cherri tomato plant (or any tomato plant actually) I have seen so far. (I can save some seeds this year for anyone who is intrested, I also save seeds from many of my flowers to pass along, I am sorry my camera isn't working but every year I add to my perennials and self seeders, I also have seeds for castor beans, red and green that look outstanding in any landscape. I used to work in landscapeing, and landscape design. I just never had a vegie garden, but I married a man that grew up on a farm. He grew up growing food, I grew up planting things to look good! We found a balance 2gether, we planed our corn and sunflowers together figuring if we get some of the corn were doing great, we wrote that garden off to the animals pretty much sense we planted it.) We also grow yellow tomatos every year, the last few years we have had problems with overwatering and underwatering at different times, I have learned the hard way the signs to look for and plan on keeping a close eye on the frute this year. (huge cracking tomatos is a sign of over watering, died up stems aka "blossom end rot" is a sign of underwatering). I also grow borrage, nasturshum and viola in pots for treats to use in salads and for my parrots to have a home grown snack. The Fids (feathered kids, I rescue parrots) love to sit down with a bowl of flowers and vegies.
As for attracting wildlife, I am not sure of the variety of birds and other wildlife the UK has to offer. We keep a feild guide of the different kind of birds next to the door, I plant according to the birds I can attract. I know the birds we can and do get in the area we live in, we boarderline a woods and feild so we have a fantastic variety of wildlife. I have had humming birds, baltimore orelos, blue birds, cardinals, sparrows, name it we have had it, there is a HUGE variety of birds, rabbits, raccoons, owls, snakes name it the list goes on. The variety of birds is amazing, I have so much planted that my beds are never disturbed by unwanted guests. Wishing you all the luck the season has to offer. I have grown everything from seed, but I perfer to get seedlings, there is a wonderful nursery about 10 miles from my home, the ol' folks there couldn't be more devoted to growing wonderful plants and have the sweetest dispositions out of anyone I have ever dealt with. they don't shy away fo offering tips to old customers and they have never steered me wrong. It's fantastic when you can find a place tht is 100% trustable no matter what ya buy.

[TheVegGarden.co.uk]

Hi,

We have a fairly small garden with not many beds to grow in. We have about 70 containers now growing all sorts of veg. These include, courgettes, squash,lettuce,runner beans,peas,strawberries,beetroot,sweetcorn,potatoe s and lots more.

Most veg can be grown in containers from seed. We use a cold frame to start our seeds and haven't had many problems with germination.

Containers tend to dry out quicker than beds so they will probably need more rewarding but from experience, it can be very rewarding growing your own and I'm sure you'll love it.

One added benefit is that containers can easily be relocated.

I would say give any veg a go, you can't lose much by trying and learning from your mistakes.

[DunDiggin]

Most veg will grow in a pot provided it has about 6" of soil/compost in it - the bigger the pot the less feeding will be needed as the plants will take longer to use up all the nutrients - if you carefully read the labels on most compost it says good for 6-8 weeks!
Potatoes need a good depth usually about 16" with the seed potatoes planted in 4" of compost then covered with a further 4", and then filled to depth as they grow - second crop potatoes can be sown any time between now and the end of August.
For leeks you'll need a pot at least 12" deep - alternatively grow them in 12" lengths of 4" drainpipe filled with compost.
As you're starting now most things can be sown direct into pots, including salad leaves, winter and spring cabbage, and a late maturing leek variety such as Pandora.