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Hi all,

My and my partner will be moving from our city centre flat to a house in the suburbs. this comes with a very small south east facing backyard and we're excited about being able to venture outside for a change!

does anyone have any tips or suggestions for crop-growing in small, concrete-paved environs and/or any recommended reading?
in particular, i'd be interested to hear which plants do well in containers (any recommended 'dwarf' fruit trees (and a link to a supplier), any precautions i need to take.

if any forum users have had success growing in small yards and has any snapshots, i'd be very interested to see

many thanks!

Chris

Hi Chris, if you are S.E. facing, then your patch will be in full sun for most of the day. It maybe good to bear that in mind when choosing plants. With that in mind you might want to think about rigging up a water butt as you'll probably find that your plants will require plenty of water. Most vegetables like plenty of sun, but i don't know too much about fruits or flowers! Spuds can be grown in containers (or a grow-bag on end). Anything from the marrow family ( courgettes, cucumbers, squash etc) can be grown up a frame. Most things can be grown in containers if they are big enough. Is it an option to lift some slabs to create small "patches" of garden? Good luck.

My mother used to have a really tiny apple tree in a tub - can't remember it's name but it was basically a stick which produced apples You'd need to check on other apple trees around for pollinating - they're self sterile, but you could always get a couple if you have room. Not a huge crop but they were quite tasty. Was it Minarette? I think Ken Muir does them.

Don't forget about utilising your walls - shelves etc for pots and/or climbers on trellis.

thanks for that pumpy!

Alas, it's concrete-coated, so unfortunately it's one big slab!

some really interesting and useful tips there, too.

i was thinking maybe trying to grow beetroot as they're a fairly shallow veg (with edible leaves). any experience growing these?

thanks again!

haha! i like the idea of an apple-producing stick.

i was thinking of growing some peas up a wall trellis

Yes they are Ken Muir minarette - we had a couple of trees but had to give them away when we left England, so never saw any fruit on them!

You could try strawberries in hanging baskets to maximise your space.

French beans grow really well in window box type planters which are not very big and you should be able to squeeze about 3 beans in - and 3 beans feeds us two pretty well for months as they really produce well for such small plants (OK we do have other veg to eat too!).

But do think about the cost of the potting compost as it isn't cheap and you can go through sacks and sacks filling up those tubs and planters - and you'll need more fertiliser for the things growing in pots than if they were in the soil.

Good luck though - you should be able to grow lots of different things and don't forget a nice tub full of herbs!

Dont forget carrots grow well in a trough...we have given up growing them in the ground, they always fork in our soil. but they are great when picked new from a trough. also the obvious tomatoes and salad stuff, leaves, rocket etc..have fun!

As you'll have limited space, it might be worth thinking about how to compost and feed your plants. I think the Japanese system of active bacteria where you siphon off the liquid as feed is sposed to be the best for flats, balconies, courtyards etc. I'd give you a link but I've forgotten what it's called (someone else here will know , I clearly have lost the plot). It definitely starts with a B. Or an M. I give up.
In a limited space I would go for quality over quantity: no point using all all your space on one crop of spuds. Youve the perfect excuse to stick to "luxury" crops like posh lettuce, soft fruit etc that all do fine in pots or trought. Some soft fruit bushes like goji and blueberries actually like pots and it helps monitor the type of soil they need.

Other than that, I should think anything is worth a go. Just don't be afraid to tuck seedlings of lettuce or similar around the spare soil of anything growing upwards, feed everything well and I bet it'll be lovely.

thanks to everyone for the responses.

I'd be very interested to hear more about the Japanese 'active bacteria' method (if anyone can provide a link/name!)

Cheers again!

I haven't used it but the word you are looking for is "bokashi".

My pearl of wisdom would be to think about how long you are likely to be there. That might make a difference between investing in big pots and plants that take a while to come to maturity and going for smaller pots and shorter-lived crops, herbs and flowers. Having done several moves recently, I've done quite a lot of schlepping assorted pots around!

Wulf

some good ideas on this site; http://www.instructables.com/tag/type-i ... gardening/

The urban guide to becoming self sufficient 'ish'
Urban Homesteading on a budget

Growing in a small space 2 – Getting more from your crops – By Dave Hamilton
Growing in Small Spaces 1 – Garden Shelves. By Dave Hamilton
Wild Food June – Dave Hamilton
Wild food in May – Late Spring Foraging – Food for free in May – Andy Hamilton
Wild Food in April – Mid spring foraging


* Cough, Cough, .....

boboff wrote:Growing in Small Spaces 1 – Garden Shelves. By Dave Hamilton

haha! I did see that too, thanks!

missy wrote:some good ideas on this site; http://www.instructables.com/tag/type-i ... gardening/

you've just subjected my girlfriend to months of me bringing junk home to tinker with!