Advice, please, on shade loving crops

[2ndRateMind]

I live in a council flat in Bristol. The powers that be spent a load of money renovating the area, last year. The result is that 2 storeys beneath me there are three plots of land, about 15m square, all planted with grass in the middle and a hedge on three sides. These 'plots' are east facing, but get virtually no direct sunlight because of a 6ft dividing wall and hedge to the north west, and my dirty great block of flats to the south east.

I'd love to undertake a bit of guerilla gardening. I'd like to grow hops and horseradish, for starters. I think the hops might survive growing up the wall, and the horseradish because I've heard it's invasive, and don't want to risk growing it in my allotment, when I eventually get it. The hedges are newly planted, though, and I reckon I have a year, maybe two, to get some useful shrubs interplanted before it all gets to grown up beyond intervention.

I'm looking for ideas, really. I'm a keen home brewer, so any ideas on stuff I can grow to make wine and/or beer from would be most welcome.

Thanks for your thoughts. 2RM.

[happyhippy]

Hi,I love your enthusiasm,but won't the council mow over it?And if someone grasses you up,will it breach anything on your tenancy?Don't want to sound negative(Sorry if I do xx)but I would hate the thought of you watching crops grow,and then somebody on a ride on decides to just run over them all!!! Can you ask the council if you can build a community garden?

[grahamhobbs]

Redcurrants, raspberries, gooseberries are all fairly shade tolerant

[2ndRateMind]

Hi,I love your enthusiasm,but won't the council mow over it?And if someone grasses you up,will it breach anything on your tenancy?Don't want to sound negative(Sorry if I do xx)but I would hate the thought of you watching crops grow,and then somebody on a ride on decides to just run over them all!!! Can you ask the council if you can build a community garden?

Thanks for that. Yes, there is a certain amount of risk to guerilla gardening, isn't there! I think, though, that if something looks like it has been officially planted, the men from the council gardening squad will tend to leave it alone. Then there is the risk from kids, mainly playing football without a care for their environment. Fortunately, the reason there are three plots, not just one long one, is precisely to discourage exactly this threat. And, being at the back of the flats, these areas don't attract much foot traffic from residents. I think I stand a reasonable chance of getting away with it. It's a case of blending in with what is there, and not being too obvious about what I'm doing.

I'll let you know how I get on!

Redcurrants, raspberries, gooseberries are all fairly shade tolerant

Hmmm, currants might make a nice wine. And there aren't many birds around here to steal the crop. Just pigeons and seagulls, and they seem to prefer leftover MacDonalds.

Thanks both, 2RM.

[happyhippy]

Ok now I have abit more info to go on,I wish you the best of luck!Sorry I can't offer you some veg suggestions other than chard/spinach type plants.Happy growing!

[Thomzo]

Good luck. I suggest you don't spend too much money on it until you know whether the council is going to object though. T'wud be a shame to see it all wasted. You could always be really cheeky and put up a sign saying 'Whichever Flats Community Garden'. If it was done to a professional standard the council gardeners might believe it was authorised and leave it alone.

Japanese wineberry is recommended for shade. Wild garlic is another. Alpine strawberries do well under trees in my garden and the rhubarb seems to do well despite being in shade for most of the day.

Zoe

[Zech]

If the hedges aren't too closely planted, maybe you could sneak some elder in there? It would probably get the top chopped off, which wouldn't be great for harvesting, but it might be worth a try as you get not one but two excellent wine-making crops from it - elderflower and elderberry It's pretty resilient, so would probably survive anywhere.

[British Red]

I like Sorrel in shade


9 - sorrel by British Red, on Flickr

Lovely apple peel flavour, perennial, comes up early in spring and not obviously an edible plant

Red

[2ndRateMind]

Sorrel's a nice idea. 1200 seeds for £1.48 I discover. So is elder. And wild garlic. In fact, so are all your ideas. Thanks for sharing your wisdom!

Best wishes, and 10,000 salaams, 2RM