[freezef]

As mentioned in the newcomers forum I have recently acquired a small patch of patio and pots to grow whatever i want in based in a small yard in SE london....

Given the lack of space and the fact that the plants would be entirely pot bound, I am looking for ideas which species  would cope best with being in such a confined space.

I know I would never be self sufficient in my attempts but would like to reduce my costs etc.....

My initial ideas are a variety of herbs in a couple of pots, but also like the idea of growing strawberries and chilli peppers but wouldn't know where and how to start so any ideas commernts would be appreciated.

[hectic]

I grew quite a but in pots last year with varying degrees of success, the bonus is you can go to the garden centre and by the small plants without having to grow from seed as you do not have space for the volume

The best were:
chillis - grew in pots from seedlings
tomatoes - in a growbag
courgette - in a pot
peas from seed - in a very large window box
french beans - in a deep growing sac thing (approx £15 for 3 sizes)
strawbs - in a hanging basket
carrots from seed - in a deep pot
spring onions - in a window box
lettuce - in a plastic box

Hope that helps

[sunshineband]

I gre rainbow chard in pots last summer - looked great as well as tasting good 

[peapod]

You can also get hanging basket toms - try 'hundreds and millions' or 'tumbling toms'
Chillies are good in pots but need to be kept warm so they need to be outside later and will also have a smaller yeild in most cases
Dwarf french beans are great in a trough, i put 4 in last year and got quite a few beans
Spuds in a deep pot or bin - about 4/5 to a bin
herbs- as you've mentioned
carrots - the stumpy type like nantes
parsnips - never tried this but could get smaller ones in a deep pot
minature veg - theres plenty of seeds out there

[CJ]

I also grow in containers using the contents of growbags and sited in a sunny position on the terrace.
Carrots (as deep a container as you can find)
Beetroot, Courgettes, Beans (dwarf as well as tall ones on a cane), Toms, Lettuces, Herbs, Strawberries.   
There are some good books on growing veg in containers as well e.g. Crops in Pots.

[Stripey_cat]

Most of the big seed companies have a section in their catalogues for patio veg.  That'll give you an idea of the cultivars to look for, and you can always buy them somewhere cheaper!  It is important to get the right cultivar, though, as size and habit can vary an awful lot - for instance, carrot 'Parmex' is a classic for containers - it grows round, table-tennis-ball-sized roots - and Amsterdam forcing types can be grown for baby carrots in 8" soil easily; most maincrop carrots need 12-18" of soil depth, so aren't suitable for anything except the biggest tubs.

[andreadon]

If you go along to your local garden centre, you'll find packs of growing bags (not growbags) - they look like collasible bins.  In our homebase they're in the same place as the propagators and trays.  
They look quite sturdy and deep, so would be suitable for potatoes and other root crops, i think.  
You could probably manage to poke some bamboo canes in too, so that you could grow strawberries or tomatoes or beans.

and you could do courgettes in pots because they don't need much root space, but they do need somewhere to trail. (straw on the ground so they don't rot)

how big is your yard?