Food/Fruit for semi-shade?
 

I'm new here, so 'Hi Everyone' and many thanks for the faqs - I've been
inspired to empty and refill my compost bin today to get it going
properly this year.

I have a small garden in Wiltshire. There's not a great deal of space
for growing food, and the small sunny areas there are I've devoted
mainly to pretty things (with the occasional tomato plant which didn't
do too well last year, but I'll try & learn from what went wrong for
this year).

I have one bed, about 7 foot by two which doesn't have anything in it at
all yet. I'd like to grow some veg or fruit, but am not sure what would
thrive on a limited amount of sunshine - it gets only a short amount of
sun in the evening. Any ideas what I should consider? I don't want to
grow anything taller than the standard fence panel as I don't want to
steal any of my neighbours' precious sunshine either.

TIA,

Jim
--
www.slowbicyclemovement.org - enjoy the ride

Food/Fruit for semi-shade?
 

In message , Jim A
writes
I'm new here, so 'Hi Everyone' and many thanks for the faqs - I've been
inspired to empty and refill my compost bin today to get it going
properly this year.

I have a small garden in Wiltshire. There's not a great deal of space
for growing food, and the small sunny areas there are I've devoted
mainly to pretty things (with the occasional tomato plant which didn't
do too well last year, but I'll try & learn from what went wrong for
this year).

I have one bed, about 7 foot by two which doesn't have anything in it
at all yet. I'd like to grow some veg or fruit, but am not sure what
would thrive on a limited amount of sunshine - it gets only a short
amount of sun in the evening. Any ideas what I should consider? I
don't want to grow anything taller than the standard fence panel as I
don't want to steal any of my neighbours' precious sunshine either.

TIA,

Jim

What do you like to eat - fruit and veg wise? The bed may be rather
short of space to plant a fruit tree or large bush but lots of veg and
some soft fruit (e.g. strawberries) could be grown. But I'd concentrate
on veg if I were you .... so what do you like eating?
--
Gopher .... I know my place!

Food/Fruit for semi-shade?
 

Gopher wrote:
Jim

What do you like to eat - fruit and veg wise? The bed may be rather
short of space to plant a fruit tree or large bush but lots of veg and
some soft fruit (e.g. strawberries) could be grown. But I'd concentrate
on veg if I were you .... so what do you like eating?

That sounds encouraging then. I'll eat almost anything except rhubarb,
gooseberries, beetroot - I'm not keen on 'tart' fruits. My wife won't
eat curly kale but I think that's about it.

Our staples are potatoes, carrots, swede, cabbage, broccoli, courgettes
and some salad (lettuce, rocket, cucumber, radishes, etc,).

Neither of us eat a great deal of fruit but we like pears and plums.

Cheers,

Jim
--
www.slowbicyclemovement.org - enjoy the ride

Food/Fruit for semi-shade?
 

On Sun, 18 Apr 2010 13:20:16 +0100, Jim A
wrote:

What do you like to eat - fruit and veg wise? The bed may be rather
short of space to plant a fruit tree or large bush but lots of veg and
some soft fruit (e.g. strawberries) could be grown. But I'd concentrate
on veg if I were you .... so what do you like eating?

That sounds encouraging then. I'll eat almost anything except rhubarb,
gooseberries, beetroot - I'm not keen on 'tart' fruits. My wife won't
eat curly kale but I think that's about it.

Our staples are potatoes, carrots, swede, cabbage, broccoli, courgettes
and some salad (lettuce, rocket, cucumber, radishes, etc,).

Neither of us eat a great deal of fruit but we like pears and plums.

Good luck, but I don't think you're going to achieve anything like
self-sufficiency from 14 square foot of soil.

I should stick to a few rows each of lettuce, radish and carrots.

Grow a couple of tubs of potatoes on a patio or path somewhere.


--
(¯`·. ®óñ© © ²°¹° .·´¯)

Food/Fruit for semi-shade?
 

®óñ© © ²°¹° wrote:
On Sun, 18 Apr 2010 13:20:16 +0100, Jim A
wrote:

What do you like to eat - fruit and veg wise? The bed may be rather
short of space to plant a fruit tree or large bush but lots of veg and
some soft fruit (e.g. strawberries) could be grown. But I'd concentrate
on veg if I were you .... so what do you like eating?
That sounds encouraging then. I'll eat almost anything except rhubarb,
gooseberries, beetroot - I'm not keen on 'tart' fruits. My wife won't
eat curly kale but I think that's about it.

Our staples are potatoes, carrots, swede, cabbage, broccoli, courgettes
and some salad (lettuce, rocket, cucumber, radishes, etc,).

Neither of us eat a great deal of fruit but we like pears and plums.

Good luck, but I don't think you're going to achieve anything like
self-sufficiency from 14 square foot of soil.

Indeed not! :-) But it should be good experience ready for when I
finally get to the top of the waiting list for an allotment (I've been
on the list only 2 years so far so could be another 2 or more).

I should stick to a few rows each of lettuce, radish and carrots.

Thanks. That sounds great.

Grow a couple of tubs of potatoes on a patio or path somewhere.

Good idea - I'll put a tub out front where we do get plenty of sunshine.

--
www.slowbicyclemovement.org - enjoy the ride

Food/Fruit for semi-shade?
 

Jim A wrote:
I'm new here, so 'Hi Everyone' and many thanks for the faqs - I've been
inspired to empty and refill my compost bin today to get it going
properly this year.

I have a small garden in Wiltshire. There's not a great deal of space
for growing food, and the small sunny areas there are I've devoted
mainly to pretty things (with the occasional tomato plant which didn't
do too well last year, but I'll try & learn from what went wrong for
this year).

I have one bed, about 7 foot by two which doesn't have anything in it at
all yet. I'd like to grow some veg or fruit, but am not sure what would
thrive on a limited amount of sunshine - it gets only a short amount of
sun in the evening. Any ideas what I should consider? I don't want to
grow anything taller than the standard fence panel as I don't want to
steal any of my neighbours' precious sunshine either.

Blackberries, raspberries and gooseberries will tolerate a fair amount
of shade - they do like some sun though.

I hesitate to suggest nettles and ground elder, both of which are good
green veg (IMO!). I'm about to plant a big shallow tub (when I find one)
with ground elder, so I can spray the unwanted invasive regiments of it.

--
Rusty

Food/Fruit for semi-shade?
 

Jim A wrote:
®óñ© © ²°¹° wrote:

/prune/

Grow a couple of tubs of potatoes on a patio or path somewhere.

Good idea - I'll put a tub out front where we do get plenty of sunshine.

A good deep tub. Put six inches of peat/potting compost in, and 2, 3 or
four spuds, depending on the area of the base.

Cover them with another six inches and allow the spuds to sprout, then
when the shoots are well clear of the surface, put another batch of
spuds in, in the spaces between where you planted the first lot.

Continue thus until the tub is nearly full.

Keep well watered and give plenty of fertiliser. Favourite is free - get
a bucket of water and steep nettles and some other weeds in it. When it
stinks something rotten is the time to apply it. I mix it to the ratio
of about a pint of smellystuff to a bucket of water. Keep adding water
and weeds to the brew to keep it going.

This fertiliser is really good for tomatoes, too.

--
Rusty

Food/Fruit for semi-shade?
 

On 18 Apr, 17:20, Rusty Hinge
wrote:
Jim A wrote:
I'm new here, so 'Hi Everyone' and many thanks for the faqs - I've been
inspired to empty and refill my compost bin today to get it going
properly this year.

I have a small garden in Wiltshire. *There's not a great deal of space
for growing food, and the small sunny areas there are I've devoted
mainly to pretty things (with the occasional tomato plant which didn't
do too well last year, but I'll try & learn from what went wrong for
this year).

I have one bed, about 7 foot by two which doesn't have anything in it at
all yet. *I'd like to grow some veg or fruit, but am not sure what would
thrive on a limited amount of sunshine - it gets only a short amount of
sun in the evening. *Any ideas what I should consider? *I don't want to
grow anything taller than the standard fence panel as I don't want to
steal any of my neighbours' precious sunshine either.

Blackberries, raspberries and gooseberries will tolerate a fair amount
of shade - they do like some sun though.

I hesitate to suggest nettles and ground elder, both of which are good
green veg (IMO!). I'm about to plant a big shallow tub (when I find one)
with ground elder, so I can spray the unwanted invasive regiments of it.

--
Rusty- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

You said you grow flowers in most of the garden, then why not mix in
some veg. Carrout make a great foliage plant as do Beetroot (and with
Beetroot you can eat the leaves as well as the roots.
Climbing french or runner beans can be mixed with Sweet peas.
Parsley, chives left to flower, and nasturtiums can be used in salads.
Swis chartd is very ornimental and can be mixed in as can artichokes.
David Hill

Food/Fruit for semi-shade?
 

Rusty Hinge wrote:
A good deep tub. Put six inches of peat/potting compost in, and 2, 3 or
four spuds, depending on the area of the base.

Cover them with another six inches and allow the spuds to sprout, then
when the shoots are well clear of the surface, put another batch of
spuds in, in the spaces between where you planted the first lot.

Continue thus until the tub is nearly full.

Keep well watered and give plenty of fertiliser. Favourite is free - get
a bucket of water and steep nettles and some other weeds in it. When it
stinks something rotten is the time to apply it. I mix it to the ratio
of about a pint of smellystuff to a bucket of water. Keep adding water
and weeds to the brew to keep it going.

This fertiliser is really good for tomatoes, too.

That's great thanks. I went to a talk about bulbs a few weeks ago where
a (vaguely) similar method of planting in a tub was mentioned.

Unfortunately I don't think there's anywhere I can put a smelly bucket -
I have some shop-bought fertiliser I can use for now.

I planted the seeds for some carrots, radishes, lettuce and tomatoes in
pots today and finished preparing the bed for when they appear and can
be planted out. Many thanks everyone for getting me started.

--
www.slowbicyclemovement.org - enjoy the ride

Food/Fruit for semi-shade?
 

Rusty Hinge wrote:
Blackberries, raspberries and gooseberries will tolerate a fair amount
of shade - they do like some sun though.

I hesitate to suggest nettles and ground elder, both of which are good
green veg (IMO!). I'm about to plant a big shallow tub (when I find one)
with ground elder, so I can spray the unwanted invasive regiments of it.

I already have a thornless bramble - the fruit was very tart last year
so I think it needs more sunshine. I'm glad you mentioned it I might
transplant it or take a cutting to put it somewhere with more light.

And nettles, yes indeed. I planted one last year expecting it to
multiply and give me a bumper crop, but it hasn't much yet. I'll go
find a few more as I like nettle tea and feel rather stupid buying
teabags for it.

--
www.slowbicyclemovement.org - enjoy the ride

Food/Fruit for semi-shade?
 

"Jim A" wrote in message
...
And nettles, yes indeed. I planted one last year expecting it to
multiply and give me a bumper crop, but it hasn't much yet. I'll go find
a few more as I like nettle tea and feel rather stupid buying teabags for
it.


I could send you a few..
Nettles just love my soil and I spend hours hacking them out but I do leave
quite a few to feed the peacock, comma, and small tortoiseshell butterfly
larvae which reward me by being spectacular on my buddlieas later in the
year.
The idea that you want nettles while I spend half my life trying to get rid
of them is amazing;-)
I'm trying to get my chickens to eat nettles but they don't seem that keen.
If I throw them into their run they go "no way, we were hoping for a
dandelion.."
Tina

Food/Fruit for semi-shade?
 

In message , Rusty Hinge
writes
Jim A wrote:
®óñ© © ²°¹° wrote:

/prune/

Grow a couple of tubs of potatoes on a patio or path somewhere.
Good idea - I'll put a tub out front where we do get plenty of
sunshine.

A good deep tub. Put six inches of peat/potting compost in, and 2, 3 or
four spuds, depending on the area of the base.

Cover them with another six inches and allow the spuds to sprout, then
when the shoots are well clear of the surface, put another batch of
spuds in, in the spaces between where you planted the first lot.

Continue thus until the tub is nearly full.

Keep well watered and give plenty of fertiliser. Favourite is free -
get a bucket of water and steep nettles and some other weeds in it.
When it stinks something rotten is the time to apply it. I mix it to
the ratio of about a pint of smellystuff to a bucket of water. Keep
adding water and weeds to the brew to keep it going.

This fertiliser is really good for tomatoes, too.


That's a great idea! I never thought of multi-layered spuds in tubs.
Only question .... wouldn't the lowest level be ready long before the
levels above? I grow only first & second earlies and always in tubs. Any
way to increase that production by using the same amount of containers
is most welcome.
--
Gopher .... I know my place!

Food/Fruit for semi-shade?
 

Christina Websell wrote:
If I throw them into their run they go "no way, we were hoping for a
dandelion.."

Hmm, I haven't tried them with nettles, but there are definitely some weeds
more than others that they like. I haven't noticed them being fond of
dandelions, though.
Mind you, the annoying things are now turning their noses up at the angelica
I planted for them last year that they used to love!
Today they were happy munching through a handful of spent sprout + broccoli
plants from the allotment. I think they enjoyed them!

Food/Fruit for semi-shade?
 

Gopher wrote:

That's a great idea! I never thought of multi-layered spuds in tubs.
Only question .... wouldn't the lowest level be ready long before the
levels above? I grow only first & second earlies and always in tubs. Any
way to increase that production by using the same amount of containers
is most welcome.

Not really - the time it takes the sprouts of a ready-chitted spud to
grow six, twelve, or even eighteen inches will make little difference to
what goes on underneath, just so long as the temperature, moisture and
nutrition suit the tubers.

The new tubers grow off the sprouts, so you should end up with a tub
full of spuds.

--
Rusty

Food/Fruit for semi-shade?
 

Jim A wrote:
Rusty Hinge wrote:
Blackberries, raspberries and gooseberries will tolerate a fair amount
of shade - they do like some sun though.

I hesitate to suggest nettles and ground elder, both of which are good
green veg (IMO!). I'm about to plant a big shallow tub (when I find
one) with ground elder, so I can spray the unwanted invasive regiments
of it.

I already have a thornless bramble - the fruit was very tart last year
so I think it needs more sunshine. I'm glad you mentioned it I might
transplant it or take a cutting to put it somewhere with more light.

And nettles, yes indeed. I planted one last year expecting it to
multiply and give me a bumper crop, but it hasn't much yet. I'll go
find a few more as I like nettle tea and feel rather stupid buying
teabags for it.

Want me to send you a few bales of nettle roots?

Another excellent wild food is almost the entire family of Chenopodia -
fat hen, good King Henry, hastate orache, samphire and many others.

Blackberries grow nicely along the tops of fences. Ideally, they should
have vicious thorns to discourage intruders. Remember, if you have a
suitable position, you can always put in a tall stout stake and grow
blackberries vertically.

--
Rusty