Want to grow my own veg

Bananaleaf

Hi all

Apologies if this is in the wrong place.

I'm finding myself having to cut down costs this year but I don't want to compromise my diet.

I want to start growing my own veg as much as is possible, but to be honest I don't have a clue where to start.

I rent a house but the back garden is all concrete. No front garden, so obviously can't get a greenhouse put in. Those plastic ones aren't practical either as it will get destroyed in the weather.

A quick google search of "mini greenhouses" brings me to a site called thegardenshop.ie but I see their site is undergoing maintenance. There is also this in IKEA http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70186603/

Would be planning on having this indoors I suppose, in the hallway in the winter then outside when the weather is ok. Would this even work? Not sure about gardening AT ALL so don't know how much I would fit in there or would I have to buy two.

Also don't know what is easy to grow and what isn't. Things I would be looking to grow would be:

Kale
Peas
Courgettes
Lettuce
Herbs - Chives, Mint, Parsley, Coriander
Carrots
Green Beans

Would love to also grow potatoes and mushrooms but I haven't a clue what is or isn't possible. Don't know where to start - do they go in pots, trays etc. However, anything would be a start. I don't want to have to stop eating well because of budget constraints.

If anyone has any tips to help me, anything I should know, a link to any useful sites etc, I'd be really grateful! As I figure things out myself I will update and post etc.

johnnyskeleton

Im not sure youd grow potatoes carrots and onions cheaper than youd get them in the supermarket unless you know someone to give you free seed onions/potatos. But at least you know where theyve been grown. Growing them from scratch is quite hard.

Herbs are the easiest to grow, grow quickly and are cheap relative to the cost of buying fresh herbs. But a packet of aeeds in woodies for c. 50c and follow the instructions, or buy one of those supermarket potted herbs and see if it grows(some are already dead, but ive had more parsely than i know what to do with from one i replanted a year ago and it looks like it might come back next year.

Apple and pear trees are also good low maintenance garden growers.

Tomatoes will probably need a greenhouse and even still may be small.

If anything you plant is growing slowly, stick a bit of compost or tomato feed on the soil - it may need some nutrients.

Most seed packets will have instructions on the back. Typically you might sprout them in water for a day or two, then put them in small pots kept indoors before you can move them outdoors. But some are hardy and can be sown directly. Others will be very delicate.

The main reasons to grow your own are freshness, satisfaction from growing your own and knowing what pesticides have or have not been used. .

Bananaleaf

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

Im not sure youd grow potatoes carrots and onions cheaper than youd get them in the supermarket unless you know someone to give you free seeds.

Herbs are the easiest to grow, grow quickly and are cheap relative to the cost of buying fresh herbs. But a packet of aeeds in woodies for c. 50c and follow the instructions, or buy one of those supermarket potted herbs and see if it grows(some are already dead, but ive had more parsely than i know what to do with from one i replanted a year ago and it looks like it might come back next year.

Apple and pear trees are also good low maintenance garden growers.

Tomatoes will probably need a greenhouse and even still may be small.

If anything you plant is growing slowly, stick a bit of compost or tomato feed on the soil - it may need some nutrients.

Hmm yes the potatoes and carrots probably no point actually.

It's things like lettuce or kale and herbs which go off so quickly after buying and don't freeze well if you are looking to use in a salad. I see from looking around that it will take about 18 weeks for kale to be ready - is that about right does anyone know?

Pear tree sounds like a good idea, thanks.

johnnyskeleton

Bananaleaf wrote: »

It's things like lettuce or kale and herbs which go off so quickly after buying and don't freeze well if you are looking to use in a salad. I see from looking around that it will take about 18 weeks for kale to be ready - is that about right does anyone know?

Sounds about right for curly kale:

http://gentleworld.org/kale-an-easy-beginners-guide-to-growing/#Finding the right spot and time to plant

I have an ornental (ie non edible) kale that grew like mad last wet and mild summer

Bananaleaf

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

Sounds about right for curly kale:

http://gentleworld.org/kale-an-easy-beginners-guide-to-growing/#Finding the right spot and time to plant

I have an ornental (ie non edible) kale that grew like mad last wet and mild summer

Yeah that's where I read it I think. Thanks for your input. Have bought a book online about growing in small spaces too, was cheap enough also so hopefully will help.

Dizzyblonde

OP I've moved your thread into the Gardening forum where you're more likely to get advice.

Moved from Food & Drink.

Roselm

Bananaleaf wrote: »

Pear tree sounds like a good idea, thanks.

If you want fruit trees they'll need to be outside. Check if they can be grown in pots and how soon you'll get fruit.
Also for apple trees you need, I think, 3 for guaranteed pollination. Not sure if Pears self pollinate.
I think you're going to spend more money on getting set up than you will reap, except for the herbs idea.
Costs for pots and trays, planters/windowboxes, compost, trowel, watering can, seeds/plants are going to quickly mount up.

CelticRambler

Concrete back garden and no front garden? You'll have a tough time saving any money under those conditions as you've got to provide all the soil and "growing conditions" yourself. Useful quantities of veg need a lot of space (one of the reasons I moved house!) because you'll have plants at different stages of growth. Let's say you eat one head of lettuce a week, you'll need space for eight to ten heads plus a tray of seedlings.

That ikea mini-green house is tiny - good enough to get your seeds sprouting, but you won't grow anything in there. Well, maybe some herbs, but everything else will have to be moved out to make room for the next lot of seeds.

I don't agree about potatoes being as/more expensive than shop-bought ones. I spend about 5-10€ on seed potatoes per year and harvest about 30-50kg depending on how well I've looked after them. But I've got real soil. You might break even with a "vertical" growing system (like a compost bin - you sow the potatoes at the bottom and keep adding soil/compost as they grow).

If you've got enough sun and shelter, tomatoes are worth trying. Go for green beans rather than peas, unless you've got a high wall that you can grow the peas up against. I find peas more trouble than they're worth.

Onions, shallots and garlic are something else that can grow quite well in a skinny trough. Once again, ordinary varieties won't be any cheaper than buying in the supermarket, but if you're interested in the cooking side more than the money, you could have small quantities of less common/more expensive varieties that you wouldn't ever be bothered buying in a shop.

And strawberries! Find/borrow/make a tiered strawberry planter and fill it with a variety that fruits continuously/repeatedly through the summer.

magicbastarder

CelticRambler wrote: »

Concrete back garden and no front garden? You'll have a tough time saving any money under those conditions as you've got to provide all the soil and "growing conditions" yourself.

yep; root veg is pretty much out. one thing i've found about potato grow bags is that they need a lot of watering - go away for a few days during a sunny period and the foliage would probably not last.
but if you can find somewhere to grow them, they're not expensive; even a few leftover spuds can be chucked in the ground. they may not crop as well as good seed potatoes, but you're talking pennies to source them.

CelticRambler

"Potato Towers" - that seems to be the name for what I was thinking of (much more than a grow-bag).

Some suggestions here: http://thethriftycouple.com/2014/05/31/how-to-build-a-potato-tower-for-small-space-growing-3-types/

Potatoes are probably the least fussy of all the veg when it comes to giving them "compost". You can use pretty much anything, and asking around the neighbour hood, you might be able to take useful organic material off someone's hands, e.g. grass clippings if they're not using them for their own compost.

Bananaleaf

Thanks for all the replies - appreciate it!

Well, it seems that I probably won't really save as much growing my own as I think - maybe I will be better off just buying them.

The thing that I really seem to spend a lot on are herbs. I buy those pots but as someone said above, they are dead or something before you buy as I have never managed to keep one going. I also tried to grow my own chives from a packet but nothing ever came of them so I was a bit disappointed by that as it's meant to be so easy that even a child can grow them!

I've bought a book on the book depository about growing fruits and veg in small spaces - apartment balconies etc so hopefully that will give me some ideas.

Are peas easy to grow? I was reading this http://themicrogardener.com/easy-guide-to-growing-perfect-pea/ and I'm thinking that if I got a very large plant pot I could grow them from there

snoopy12

I'd advise you to take a look on the GIY website. It's irish so very relevant and takes you from absolute beginer to experienced gardener.

Roselm

Bananaleaf wrote: »

Are peas easy to grow? I was reading this http://themicrogardener.com/easy-guide-to-growing-perfect-pea/ and I'm thinking that if I got a very large plant pot I could grow them from there

Peas are easy but their roots don't like being moved so you'll be best off sowing them in the pot you want them to eventually grow in. The thing is they don't yield that many pods per plant so they'll grow for you but you are likely to get enough for just a couple of meals.

finooola

Bananaleaf wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies - appreciate it!


The thing that I really seem to spend a lot on are herbs. I buy those pots but as someone said above, they are dead or something before you buy as I have never managed to keep one going.

I think the problem with those pots you buy is that they are overcrowded with seedlings and they (the plants or the soil or both) are nearly exhausted by the time you buy them.

Herbs and things like salads are supposed to be cheaper to grow than buy. Rocket and that.

I'm looking for some advice for growing in small spaces too. My problem is I've moved in with family, and the garden is already done. I'm allowed put things in the garden, but I'll have to work around what's already there. I'm thinking some peas or beans around the edges could work. I'm also doing some herbs and salads in containers. I'm also attempting some chillies.

What grows well in the Irish climate? I'd love to grow tomatoes, but they've never worked for me in the past.

My other question is, is there anything I can do against the slugs and snails that won't be dangerous for my toddler? He is in a dirt and pebble eating phase. I'm sure he'd find blue slug pellets an intriquing thing to try to snack on.

Shemale

If you grow lettuce you won't need many heads, you can take the leaves you need off the plants when they are in the ground and the plants will just grow more.

Like peas put carrots where you want them to grow, make sure the ground is very soft or they don't grow properly.

tringle

I agree growing in containers is an easy way around small spaces but it does need a lot of water and buying the soils. I use the large blue IKEA bags for growing....potato towers can cost up to €20 but an IKEA bag is 50c. For potatoes I buy a bag of potting compost, 2 for €12. Put one third bag compost in an plant two potatoes, when shoots show put another third of bag and then again the last third to earth up. For carrots I mix the bagged compost with sand and fill about two thirds full and sprinkle the packet of seeds in and cover lightly. This has the advantage of keeping the carrot whitefly away as well as it cant fly over 30cm high. I found moving the bags around quite difficult so I got an old pallet and put castors on it. This gives me a moveable platform, I just leave the bags on it and move to follow the weather or when they are in the way.