[charliefoths89]

Hi there! I am renting my first house for the next academic year (September until July/August) and would love to grow my own edible crops during the year as I'm really into cooking and have grown a few herbs and simple veggies in the past.

My big problem is that the academic year is very much NOT spring-spring but autumn-autumn, and next autumn I'm moving to another country. So what are possibilities of things I can grow from now onwards that I can eat by next summer? Perhaps I can begin growing indoors? I'd love it if some experienced gardeners had ideas.

Thank you for reading 

[chris.selvey]

How about trying some winter potatoes? They can be planted around the end of this month or start of next month and can be harvest at Christmas.

[Yorkie]

I'd recommend you start them off sooner than that, probably - don't forget that day length and temperatures are now on the decline, so leaving it till September only gives a few weeks of growing time

[madcat]

And in the spring you can grow leaves and lettaces and spring onions - starting them inside if we get a cold spring.  Peas will be done too by the time you leave, so you could do them.  Salad carrots, radish etc ...  A few Early potatoes would go well in the last few weeks of term with your salads.

Garlic over winters but would be ready to lift just as you leave - scratch that one. 

Where are you?  How far south?

[polly nator]

Howabout some Swiss Chard - rainbow swiss chard looks very pretty too. It germinates easily, grows fast and is cut and come again. You would be able to get  crops well before the time you leave. And pests seem to leave it alone.

Also basket tomatoes (not the other types though) . I had some this year which began ripening really early, June, even though they were outdoors and up north (N Yorkshire)

[sunshineband]

You could sow some spring cabbage in modules, ready to transplant when you arrive,
 and pak choi would be easy to transplant too 

[kingdhesiii]

What are some nice types of Christmas spuds to get and can you buy them anywhere for a reasonable price.?

Isnt there a guy on here who sells them?

[hillfooter]

When I was a student rarely a week went by without a curry so how about a few chillis.  However when you are student gardening should be low on the priority list of activities though sowing a few wild oats is probably OK in moderation.
HF

[Babstreefern]

Try Kohl Rabi - I tried it this year, and it was lovely, and they don't take long from starting to harvesting.  I'll be doing it again next year.

[Starling]

Am I right in thinking you will want to start growing in September?  Do you know how much indoor/outdoor space you will have?  As it is rented will you need to grow in pots?

Sorry more in the way of questions then answers at the moment

[charliefoths89]

Wow, fantastic advice here! A world of possibilities, and I will make a list and try some.

In answer to where I am based - Coventry, in a rented house, so I'm planning both window pots and was thinking some old fruit crates or something and pots to make beds in the back yard, as then they are removable.

I think salad-items are a really good idea, because they come up quickly (have been growing a mixed leaf salad on my window a couple of years and its great) and there are some interesting ideas here. Also, what happily grows indoors? Can i grow strawberry plants on my windowsill, and can I grow salad-type things indoors during winter months? Sorry, I know very little about gardening!

More ideas welcome, thanks so far, really pleased 

Ps. Hillfooter - yes, I know it seems a bit odd student gardening, but personally i need something to do that is -not- studying to keep me sane, and currently too much time is wasted on facebook when i could be doing something better!

[Matthew Gayles]

try some lambs lettuce, its a salad leaf that actually grows well in the winter and flavour improves with the cold. You could get some large pots and plant some broad beans in month or so and hopefully you could have beans by may - june? I grew strawberries in pots last year on a wall and they were really good but they are very thirsty so you would have to work on a way to keep then waterd while your out sowing the oats/ getting hammered/ sleeping and oh yes .... studying? i joke.