Indoor Veg

[Brij]

I'm trying to do some forward planning for when I next move.

I'll only be there for a year, but I'd like to get some indoor gardening sorted, so I can eat fresh, healthy stuff as much as possible (though I'm under no illusion as to how little I will probably manage).

So I'm going to go for a herb box in the kitchen, with basil, chives, and mint (since those are the ones I use most often). But I'd really like to do a bit more.

Could spinach be grown indoors, if I could find a sunny spot and a big enough container? How about lettuce-varieties? I remember growing lettuce for a school experiment, it seemed to do just fine on a sunny window sill. If I had a few plants, could I grow them like that and pluck a leaf or two a day to eat without killing off the plant?

The other one I think would be lovely would be to keep a lavendar plant indoors. I'm sure I've seen them growing happily in shady corners, and I'm sure it'd leave the flat smelling lovely (as well as providing me with a few herbal baths...). What do you guys think about that?

Luckily I'm going to be on the ground floor, so I shouldn't have to lug it all up stairs!

There is a garden with the flat, but since it's shared, I would imagine that planting a veg patch won't work though I guess it'd let me sun the plants from time to time, and I think people dry their washing out there.

Also, I will only be there for a year, so is it worth trying to cultivate them from seed, or should I start off with established plants?

Thanks in advance for your enlightenment

[Batty in Battersea]

Hey Brij

Last year I was stuck in a tiny flat without a garden but put the window ledges to very good use. I too was only there for year but I grew most things from seed or bought them as small plants from the garden centre.

In the kitchen there was an east facing window which had Basil, Parsely, salad leaves (random selection), Mint and there was something else but I can't remember what it was right now.
In the living room with a west facing window was the Veg plot.. 2 tomato plants, one from a random seed a friend gave me from Italy and the other Gardeners Delight. admittedly the didnt crop amazingly well but was enough for me to tuck into something pretty much every day. I also had an Aubergine and a Sweet Pepper sitting with them. surrounded by marigolds and more salad. I had camomile and corriander there too. I had a small lavender plant but it wasnt too happy and didnt flower, never quite worked out why.
I tended to keep the window open as often as possble through the summer (3rd floor so could keep it open while I was out) to keep the air moving. and ended up having to put the tomatos on the floor and train them into a bit of a zig-zag shape when they got too tall.

As for your little garden, I dont think people would be too miffed if you put a couple of chunky containers out there with some pretty Veg in. They would probably be quite supportive, especially if you offer them some of the harvest! They may even water them for you while you are away. Worth a try anyway.

[Odsox]

Hi there Brij

I did an experiment this year with window sill tomatoes. I sowed some "Micro Tom" tomatoes at the beginning of January and grew them in 3 inch pots on a south facing window sill.

They did wonderfully well (and still are) producing loads of cherry sized toms which we started picking the last week of March. They only grow about 4 inches tall and about 6 inches wide, but produce masses of cherry sized toms that just keep on coming.

I will definitely grow them again next year but more of them as the 5 plants this year are only just enough.

I could post a photo if I could figure out how to do it.
Tony.

[Brij]

Thanks for your idea, Batty and Tony (and welcome to both of you too... good to see the forum getting bigger!).

I will definitely have a go with the micro tomatoes, they sound perfect for a little flat... and don't you just love how tomato plants smell!

Now it just depends on the neighbours (when it comes to sharing a veg garden) and which way the windows face... it was ages ago when I put the deposit down for this year.

You'll be seeing me on the seed swap/bartering board soon