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#1
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I have around 5 x 2m space, what can I do with it?
Hello,
I have a 5 x 2m space which is filled with compost, this space used to be a sandpit for when i was young and i decided it was time for a change and now that i am 14 years of age, my parents helped me in filling the space with fine multi purpose compost. It has a depth of about id say 40 cm. What id like to ask, is what would you, from personal experience suggest that i plant this year, i prefer plants that i can harvest later on. Given that i live in North London in a quite sub-urban environment, and the 5 x 2m space that i have, which plants would you recommend i try. I am quite experienced and have already planted many plants last year, some even tropical such as a banana tree, unfortunately my spce calcualtions went wrong and i didnt end up with much harvest! Here is a photo of last years plantations: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...7/IMG_8486.jpg http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...7/IMG_8479.jpg Any Suggestions Will Be Greatly Appeciated! P.S. The photo attachment tool didnt work! I resized within the boundaries! |
#2
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I have around 5 x 2m space, what can I do with it?
"Maxim" wrote in message ... Hello, I have a 5 x 2m space which is filled with compost, this space used to be a sandpit for when i was young and i decided it was time for a change and now that i am 14 years of age, my parents helped me in filling the space with fine multi purpose compost. It has a depth of about id say 40 cm. What id like to ask, is what would you, from personal experience suggest that i plant this year, i prefer plants that i can harvest later on. Given that i live in North London in a quite sub-urban environment, and the 5 x 2m space that i have, which plants would you recommend i try. I am quite experienced and have already planted many plants last year, some even tropical such as a banana tree, unfortunately my spce calcualtions went wrong and i didnt end up with much harvest! Here is a photo of last years plantations: [image: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4.../IMG_8486.jpg] [image: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4.../IMG_8479.jpg] Any Suggestions Will Be Greatly Appeciated! P.S. The photo attachment tool didnt work! I resized within the boundaries! -- Maxim How about runner beans with any surplus space filled with a salad crop. To be fair the possibilities are endless Rog http://www.rog.richieward.com |
#3
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I have around 5 x 2m space, what can I do with it?
On Sat, 23 Feb 2008 16:30:33 +0000, Maxim
wrote: Hello, I have a 5 x 2m space which is filled with compost, this space used to be a sandpit for when i was young and i decided it was time for a change and now that i am 14 years of age, my parents helped me in filling the space with fine multi purpose compost. It has a depth of about id say 40 cm. What id like to ask, is what would you, from personal experience suggest that i plant this year, i prefer plants What do you like eating? that i can harvest later on. Given that i live in North London in a quite sub-urban environment, and the 5 x 2m space that i have, which plants would you recommend i try. I am quite experienced and have already planted many plants last year, some even tropical such as a banana tree, unfortunately my spce calcualtions went wrong and i didnt end up with much harvest! Here is a photo of last years plantations: [image: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4.../IMG_8486.jpg] [image: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4.../IMG_8479.jpg] Any Suggestions Will Be Greatly Appeciated! P.S. The photo attachment tool didnt work! I resized within the boundaries! -- http://www.orderonlinepickupinstore.co.uk Ah fetch it yourself if you can't wait for delivery http://www.freedeliveryuk.co.uk Or get it delivered for free |
#4
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I have around 5 x 2m space, what can I do with it?
On 23 Feb, 16:30, Maxim wrote:
Hello, I have a 5 x 2m space which is filled with compost, this space used to be a sandpit for when i was young and i decided it was time for a change and now that i am 14 years of age, my parents helped me in filling the space with fine multi purpose compost. It has a depth of about id say 40 cm. What id like to ask, is what would you, from personal experience suggest that i plant this year, i prefer plants that i can harvest later on. Given that i live in North London in a quite sub-urban environment, and the 5 x 2m space that i have, which plants would you recommend i try. I am quite experienced and have already planted many plants last year, some even tropical such as a banana tree, unfortunately my spce calcualtions went wrong and i didnt end up with much harvest! My first thought is that 5x2M would make for an interesting gauge O railway, or a wicked gauge 00, and you could plant minature conifers to make some scenery. http://www.hornby.com/livesteam/. I'm nearly 60 and still want to do that. But if you prefer farming to diaramas, I'd have thought that squash or melons would do well and would give both a satisfying harvest and lots of green matter to compost. I like "spaghetti marrows" which do this neat trick of stringing up after you cook them. It's always good to grow a couple of peppers or jalapinos in a corner, and a row of herbs would take up less than one tenth of your space. 'main crops' like carrot, potato, parsnip hardly seem worth it in our supermaket culture - go for things that you cannot get fresh enough: broad beans fresh are a revelation. cos lettuce. white or pink radish. celeriac. you'd use up hardly any space - maybe 0.3m x 2m for a small trial of each to see what you enjoy growing. There is always next year. you could devote maybe 2mx2m to a fruit cage - raise a frame from cheap wood or even canes, cover with netting to keep the birds out, and plant raspberries, gooseberries, blackcurrants. You can't expect a bumper crop the first year, except for strawberries, which would love your location if it is sunny enough. Plant 3 varieties to give a longer cropping season. There is a huge amount of "beginners" advice on the web. The FAQs for uk.rec.gardening (the usenet group upon which gardenbanter is parasitic) is a good place to start. Then there are sites like http://www.gardenaction.co.uk http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/ www.rhs.org.uk/ Your plot is not very different in size from some allotments, and some people manage to feed a family of 4 off an allotment all year. Have you considered joining the local allotment association? It's a good place for cheap seeds, bulk buying materials, and getting advice. On which subject, do not patronise the garden sections of big DIY chains, which bring in plants from all over the world and sell them as commodities. Find a good, independant, privately owned garden centre and use them - the prices won't be so very different, the plants will already be accusomed to your local climate and probably chosen to suit the soil types, and you will get intelligent and worthwhile advice. |
#5
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I have around 5 x 2m space, what can I do with it?
Maxim wrote:
Hello, I have a 5 x 2m space which is filled with compost, this space used to be a sandpit for when i was young and i decided it was time for a change and now that i am 14 years of age, my parents helped me in filling the space with fine multi purpose compost. It has a depth of about id say 40 cm. What id like to ask, is what would you, from personal experience suggest that i plant this year, i prefer plants that i can harvest later on. Given that i live in North London in a quite sub-urban environment, and the 5 x 2m space that i have, which plants would you recommend i try. I am quite experienced and have already planted many plants last year, some even tropical such as a banana tree, unfortunately my spce calcualtions went wrong and i didnt end up with much harvest! Here is a photo of last years plantations: [image: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4.../IMG_8486.jpg] [image: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4.../IMG_8479.jpg] Any Suggestions Will Be Greatly Appeciated! P.S. The photo attachment tool didnt work! I resized within the boundaries! Although you live in London, and so will probably have a fairly mild microclimate, it is not easy to tell from your photos whether or not the plot is in shade. You do appear to have good shelter from the fence and bushes/trees in the background. What you can grow well will depend on how sunny or shaded the site is. Are you interested in only fruit and veg, or will some flowers be welcome too? You could look at joining your local horticultural society. You will get good local advice there, and probably discounts on plants and sundries (you may even get free plants from other members!). -- Jeff (cut "thetape" to reply) |
#6
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I have around 5 x 2m space, what can I do with it?
In message , Maxim
writes Hello, I have a 5 x 2m space which is filled with compost, this space used to be a sandpit for when i was young and i decided it was time for a change and now that i am 14 years of age, my parents helped me in filling the space with fine multi purpose compost. It has a depth of about id say 40 cm. What id like to ask, is what would you, from personal experience suggest that i plant this year, i prefer plants that i can harvest later on. Given that i live in North London in a quite sub-urban environment, and the 5 x 2m space that i have, which plants would you recommend i try. I am quite experienced and have already planted many plants last year, some even tropical such as a banana tree, unfortunately my spce calcualtions went wrong and i didnt end up with much harvest! Here is a photo of last years plantations: [image: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4.../IMG_8486.jpg] [image: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4.../IMG_8479.jpg] Any Suggestions Will Be Greatly Appeciated! P.S. The photo attachment tool didnt work! I resized within the boundaries! The possibility of the plot being shaded has already been mentioned. That will make some difference in what you can grow successfully. One thing that you could try is successional cropping. For example you could plant broad beans (of an appropriate cultivar) in the late autumn, and with luck you can harvest them early enough to reclaim the space to plant out seedlings of tomatoes (which I would think need a sunny location) or courgettes. -- Stewart Robert Hinsley |
#7
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These replies are absolutely excellent! The Highgate garden centre provides a huger range of seeds so no problem there. I like the idea of herbs, as to add to salads at dinner and utilising the little spaces that cannot be used by anything else. Im not quite sure if any melons will survive though! I have been planting broad beans since the very beginning! With blackberries or rasberries im not very sure as there are plenty of wild species in our Hampstead Heath park in the deep wooded areas. I have plenty of cane and chicken wire i can use. Im thinking tomatoes? Yes id rather have something i can harvest and eat later on. However i do plant the Big Russian Giant sunflowers as they provide a very colourful addition! My mother also accepted the idea of buying one of those cubicals that are covered in plastic you can zip and unzip.
The planting location is sunny during the afternoon mostly as its located under trees and in North West. I also tried corn, which didnt prove much of a success, mostly in the later stages, any ideas why? |
#8
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I have around 5 x 2m space, what can I do with it?
On 27 Feb, 21:10, Maxim wrote:
I also tried corn, which didnt prove much of a success, mostly in the later stages, any ideas why? Maize? Maize is wind-pollinated [1], and is commercially grown in large blocks to ensure that the majority of the plants get pollinated. 3 or 4 stems in a garden, with no neighbours planting it, would be problematic. I can imagine good vegetable growth but no seed set. There are techniques for hand pollination which can be found on the web, but they are intended for controlled cross-breeding rather than forcing a small crop to maturity. If you want to grow maize, you will need full sun all day - it really needs that - and a block at least 2.5m square . The plants need to be about half a metre apart. You need to grow them in pots and plant them out to avoid pest damage. I've heard of people staking them, but that wouldn't seem too necessary unless it is extremely windy. They won't like that anyway. You can underplant them with salad crops, because they grow very vertically and there is a lot of bare soil there. [1] All grasses are wind-pollinated. |
#9
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Yes, well unfortunately i think that have may been the case, when the maize finally got to the stages where it has a fluffy cotton like filling, i think this is when they have to be pollinated? They started to become weak and then died, however i think they were too small of a size to be pollinating at their stages?
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