In article ,
Bonnie Punch wrote:

In article ,
says...
I have a small backyard (30' x 8') in my condo. I am in zone 6b
(Vancouver, BC) and get an average 8 hours of sun/day.

The first 10' is covered in patio paver stones, for the bbq and dining
area. For the other 20', I'm planning on either purchasing floor
decking (see
http://www.ikea.ca/webapp/wcs/stores...atalogId=10101
&storeId=3&categoryId=12667&langId=-15&parentCats=12555*12667&chapterId=1270
3&cattype=sub)
or make the decking myself if its quite a bit cheaper. I'll leave a
few spots open in between the decking squares for planting the odd
thing, and using containers for other things.

Because my area is so tiny I've decided to grow cucumbers using a
trellis, I did this last year and it worked great. My tomatoes I'll
try in tubs this year, possibly with wheels so I can move them around
if they need a more sunnier spot. What other things can I try in such
a small space? Peas perhaps? What about squash?

I'd love to hear from urbanites that have small city gardens such as
myself and photos of what they have done would really be wonderful!

I grow everything in containers in my small big city back yard. The
only vegetables that I've found difficult to grow are root crops, like
carrots, radishes, and beets. Containers dry out much more quickly than
the ground, and they get a lot hotter - this constant fluctuation makes
life hard for the carrots et al. It can be done with a big container,
and very close attention to watering. For that matter all plants in
containers need a lot more water and fertilizer than they would in the
ground.

Things that I grew easily and were worth the space:

Tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, summer and winter squash, cucumbers,
tomatillos, ground cherries, leaf lettuce, onions, spinach, rat tail
radishes, strawberries, basil, oregano, rosemary, parsley, thyme, sage,
savory, tarragon and chives.

Things that I grew well, but took more effort (and/or a few tries to
get right):

Swiss chard, garlic, sweet potatoes, melons, peas, beans, bulb fennel.

Things that I had little success with, or found wasn't worth the
effort:

carrots, radishes, beets, corn, celery, broccoli, heading lettuce,
corriander, and dill.

I'm sure I've left out some things I've grown, but that's a quick list.

BP

You had trouble with Dill? Bummer. :-)

I just cheat and start out with 4" pots from the nursery! Much less
trouble than seeds. G

Dill needs good sunlight.

K.

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