What Vegetables Are Suitable To Grow In A Small Space?
Posted by admin on January 21, 2010
I have an area in my flat for some window boxes and I wanted to grow some vegetables. What are some suitable vegetables and when should I plant them?
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I have strawberries, tomatoes, peppers,cucumbers, lettuce and sweetcorn all in pots. I haven’t tried cucumber or sweetcorn before so I don’t know how successful they will be but my advice is just have a go and good luck.
I also have minature fruit trees in large pots but I am still, after two years, waiting for my first crop.
For a small space garden such as what you have ~ you can grow pole beans (and train them to climb a trellis), fresh herbs, radishes, green onions, spinach, and broccoli. Everything can go in now except for the pole beans which shouldn’t be planted till all danger of freezing has passed. It’s not a vegetable, but strawberries will also work in a planter box.
I would suggest fast growing leaf crops such as lettuces, spinach, mustard greens. Most window boxes are too shallow for root crops but radishes mature quickly and would go good with the salad greens. Dwarf peas, beans, tomatoes might work as well. Herbs (basil, parsley, chives. mints) would probably be nice to cook with. How much sunlight, depth of the boxes and length of the growing season all are factors that have to be considered.
The most expensive thing in the supermarket are salad leaves. These will grow really well in containers and can look decorative too.
So, not only will they save you money but will look good too.
There are some varieties of miniature carrot and baby beet is another thing you could try.
Grow a few African marigolds in between as this can help to deter whitefly.
You don’t want anything that would vine because of the small place so no beans or cucumbers, and squash gets really big and can crowd other plants, Tomotes can get big unless you plant the cherry or grape variety, when you purchase the plant or the seed just read on it how much space is needed.
Tumbler tomatoes,can get in supermarket or your local market,plant now in JoHn Innes no3 potting compost.Spring onion seeds,or chives plant now.Chives will last for years. Put some nasturtion seeds in now,they help keep blackfly off and you can eat the flowers in salads.Good gardeneing
This is a weird answer, but, I had for a few years a raised bed in the yard. I planted carrots, and when I ate them, I only let them get a couple of inches long before they were eaten. Try carrots, but, get to them fast and often. Have fun. Also, radishes don’t get very deep.
Herbs would be fun! My advice would be to make a list of the veggies you like and look and the packages of seeds. They will have the space requirements of each plant. Always plant what you like to eat, you’ll enjoy your garden more!
A little advice for small area garden.Plant early crops such as lettuce closer than normal to later crops.Then when when the lettuce is done you have room for the later crops to grow.
There loads there is a site on this http://gardening.about.com/od/vegetablepatch/a/ContainerVeggie.htm. The best ones I find are tumbling tom tomatoes, red chillie, potatoes and a few herbs
I reckon that you will get more per square inch return from runner beans, and the flowers look good too. Pick them youngish though or they will go stringy.
potatoes, onions, the odd carrot! runner beans? endless….