On Sat, 12 Jul 2003 02:35:15 +0100, "M0rphix"
wrote:


"Zizz" wrote in message
...

"MrPhixIt" wrote in message
...
Hi all.. I've recently started thinking about growing some plants for
use
in cooking..stuff like basil and coriander and tomatos.

I live in a 2nd floor flat so don't have a garden, but I have a little
balcony
with a concrete planter which I'd like to fill up with compost and use
to
grow my plants in. I was wondering if this would be suitable for growing
larger plants such as tomatos as it's quite small and only gets direct
sunlight in the afternoon from around mid day onwards.

Here is a picture of my balcony:

http://amorphix.idnetuk.com/images/p...es/balcony.jpg

Is it too late in the year to grow tomatos now? Can any gardeners offer
any suggestions on what type of vegetables or herbs might be best to
grow in these conditions?

I know nothing about gardening so would appreciate any advice.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Morphix



The url can't be found.

I'd be wary of the weight you can put on the balcony, concrete planter +
soil + water can and will weigh a fair bit.
Try to keep the weight of your pots as light as you can.
It's a bit late to grow tomatoes now but some garden centres do the
trailing
tomatoes in hanging baskets (if they haven't been snapped up already).
I would think that basil and coriander should be okay , you could also try
chives, rosemary, thyme marjoram.
It's all a question of experimenting to see what grows well and what
doesn't, don't be afraid to try something different
Rosemary, thyme and marjoram I find tend to be fairly drought tolerant,
whilst basil, coriander and chives would need a little more care with
water.
You could think of peas, beans and sunflowers for next year!
I've never tried balcony gardening so am guessing on all of this but hope
it
helps

Thanks for the reply and the useful info. I must admit I never gave a
thought
to the weight of the soil and water! I think perhaps pot plants may be a
safer
bet as you say.

I made a box about 1'x1'x4' out of waterproof builders ply I lined it
with polythene and filled it with bags of earth. It didn't bring the
balcony crashing down :-)


I messed up on the URL, here it is:

http://amorphix.idnetuk.com/images/p...ates/balcony.j
pg
It looks a bit rusty. Is it safe?
--
martin

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