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I have a a couple of big window boxes and a balcony. I am lloking for some tips on the best things to fill up a bit of space, currently have toms and pimentos growing well. Does anyone have any killer suggestions for a couple of square feet of fertile soil I have left.

I was thinking sun flowers, or maybe beans or peas. The idea being high rise plants to use the ground space.

Any tips greatly received.

Lettuce is a must - especially the cut-and-come-again varieties! Herbs of all kinds do well; climbing beans grow upwards and don't take up too much space. Courgettes are more space demanding, but do-able.

thanks Ina, I will definately go for the beans, it is the time here for planting them so you've tipped the balance. Never considered lettuce, struck me as taking up a lot of space for what it is, but I am not familiar with the 'cut and return' type. When I make a salad I have a tendancy to use a whole lettuce and eat it!!

I have sunflower seeds and sweetcorn seeds, on the insistance of child.

Anyone know which way up a sunflower seed likes to be planted?

Runner bean plants are on order, as a packet of seeds was 10 euros, and I only want a couple of plants.

Yep ... push 'em into the soil with the slightly more pointy end upwards. But that's for precisionists. Actually, they don't give too much of a hoot - right side up, upside down, flat - they'll still grow.

the book says that you can grow your beans up the corn or the sunflowers

snapdragon wrote:the book says that you can grow your beans up the corn or the sunflowers

looks like I am barking up the right anual!!



When I have my plan for supports for this jungle I'll post it LoL

I should say that I have a back garden as well, letting it go a bit wild, planted loads of seeds, every seed for themselves. It is very windy out back, more sunny, but less space, so it is the wilds vs the organised. The wilds get more sun... they both get the same weeding and watering... Once I have a good idea of what has sprouted in the anarchist back garden, I'll post a map, and progress reports.

cool - a map too - but where do you stand?

I guess with limited space, I would grow something special....hmmm nope I owuld probably do lots of tomatoes...

red wrote:cool - a map too - but where do you stand?

I guess with limited space, I would grow something special....hmmm nope I owuld probably do lots of tomatoes...

LoL ... One stands in the kitchen looking out the window, that's a window box, integrated into the building. (The terrace is out the back). At a serious stretch I can just about reach all parts of the soil. This one will be litterally dripping with toms I have dozens of plants. Some people have small fruit trees, round here it is mainly low maintenance flowers and shrubs, which are all very well, but I have only seen lemons, other than that people don't seem to go for food.

Having paid more for one tomato than a bottle of plonk, tomatoes did seem the obvious choice, as they are my favorite fruit, also fried pimentos (these are green look like largish chillies, but are not hot). Vizcayan Pimentoes cost more that a bottle of plonk for a dozen so I am hoping for a good crop of those too. The maize and sun flowers are to keep the kids happy, pester power when buying seeds!!

It's going to be a crowded jungle of a window box, a minuature garden of eden... and no slugs or snalis!! (well not yet anyway).

WOW... we have just eaten our first four ripe cherry tomatoes. Fabulous flavour, this is good news, as there are many many more to come which are currently green. Sunflowers were a bit of a disapointment, they have flowered, but tiny flowers. Some kind of leaf rust which has not spread thankfully.

Here are a couple of pics that look up at our garden, what you can see hanging over are toms, and two mature radish plants. The pics are a month out of date, need to get some batteries for my camera. The rear balcony is doing well, with the clothing drier (rack), converted to a tomato cage.

Well it rained tomatoes, I can definately claim to be selfsufficeient in toms and have been for the last month, probably will be for the next month as well. It has not been a good year for toms or anything else really, everyone is moaning about the lack of growth and toms taking ages to ripen, never the less the kids and I are having a ripe old time scoffing oliveoil, fresh bread and fresh picked sliced toms, yum.

AXJ wrote:WOW... we have just eaten our first four ripe cherry tomatoes. Fabulous flavour, this is good news, as there are many many more to come which are currently green. Sunflowers were a bit of a disapointment, they have flowered, but tiny flowers. Some kind of leaf rust which has not spread thankfully.

Here are a couple of pics that look up at our garden, what you can see hanging over are toms, and two mature radish plants. The pics are a month out of date, need to get some batteries for my camera. The rear balcony is doing well, with the clothing drier (rack), converted to a tomato cage.

Another extreme gardener... I like it!

We have herbs, herbs and more herbs in our window boxes and they are all doing really well! We have four planters in the front garden. Technically we have just one as they are converted car wheels and it took us two hours to do one yesterday but we are going to be having Garlic in one, a Bay Tree and Lavender in another and whatever we dare plant in a front garden in London in the other two when we stop aching from the one we made yesterday

We have Chives, Sage, Pineapple Mint, Garden Mint, Rosemary, Thyme, Lavender, Parsley, Oregano, Lemon Coriander, Lemon Thyme, Black Opal Basil, Basil and a Bay Tree.

We also have been using this tutorial to re-grow Spring Onions and so far they are doing well!!!

Can't beat fresh Herbs!

AXJ love your balcony pics its good to see that your neighbours are doing a spot of urban gardening too! as for those sunflower seeds I just throw mine into the soil any old way up/down and they are fine !! but my neighbours sunflowers are taller, oh bother.