[prakash_mib]

I have a very small patio in front of our house on either side of main door. It is west facing so gets a very good amount of sun, infact the walls are very hot in good light days and my hanging basket dries to dead even if i didnt put water in morning and evening. I was tihinking of opening that patio up for some growing but decided against it and trying for growbag concept with sort of poly tunnel (Do i need it?). What can I grow in that sort of area? (not very much but every little 'elps   ) the caveat is it is very close to where i park so I should be able to open the door but that can be solved by parking in the other direction where door opens far from the patio.





--edited headline for future searches

[Puenktchen]

Hi

You can grow lettuce, spinach and maybe carrots and other smaller vegetables from spring  (lettuce and spinach don`t like it too hot in summer) and maybe for later tomatoes, but I don`t no if it is sunny enough for them. If you want fruit, small apple/peach/pear/apricot trees would be an idea.

Puenktchen

[GreenOwl]

Tomatoes, aubergines, capiscums.  Anything that likes it warm, can grow in a growbag and goes up rather than out.  Would need to stay on top of the watering.  Fruit trees in pots if you wanted something more decorative.

[whippersnapper]

If it were me, I'd buy a plastic growhouse thingy (maybe two if the space allows) like this



and grow some vine tomatoes. If there's any extra space then probably some parsley and basil in pots aswell.

Have fun!  

[Elcie]

If it is at the front of your house then I would go for what is productive AND looks good - pots, pots and pots!  You can grow such a wide range of things in large pots - potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, peas, radish, salad, courgette, turnip, magetout, sweet pea - just a few of the things I have successfully grown in pots.

[prakash_mib]

Planning something like this but cost effective

This one is costing £21 planning to build a cheaper good looking one.
any advice please

[madcat]

That would be a perfect place for vine tomatoes - they need the heat to ripen and given you are used to staying on top of the watering, you should get a good crop.   Herbs like coriander and basil that love the heat would thrive there too.

[Elcie]

I have made a raised bed in my front garden which follows the square foot gardening technique.  It is quite small but is squarer than yours.  Perhaps you could do this?  You would have to make it higher as yours is on top of concrete but it makes a very efficient growing space as you plant closer together than you would usually.

I am at work at the moment and photobucket where my pictures are is blocked so I can't put one on.  I will post one tonight if I remember, but in the mean time if you searched for 'square foot garden' you would find the pictures.

[tam]

Flower buckets would work well for toms/peppers. You could do peas/beans too with a few canes. The crystals that soak up water might help with keeping things from drying out.

[prakash_mib]

I have made a raised bed in my front garden which follows the square foot gardening technique.  It is quite small but is squarer than yours.  Perhaps you could do this?  You would have to make it higher as yours is on top of concrete but it makes a very efficient growing space as you plant closer together than you would usually.

I am at work at the moment and photobucket where my pictures are is blocked so I can't put one on.  I will post one tonight if I remember, but in the mean time if you searched for 'square foot garden' you would find the pictures.

seen your photos, great work. planning to do the same. have to workout the timber though.

[prakash_mib]

Got the timbers (6"X1"  so i have stack it up to get a foot height) and ordering clamps suffs from ebay.
Now the question is what should i line it with.
I dont want the water to seap down on to patio and mess them up. I would rather drain it from the sides from a point so that i can easily handle.
putting a plastic lining and fill it with 10mm gravel for an inch and drill some side holes on the bottom with cardboard lining/thermal insulation felt inside (just around the hole) to filter  and drain water?
is it a good idea?
 Topsoil is again a problem. I calculated the total volume of the bed would be 1.17 cu. metre.
we need atleast 7 bags of 10mm gravel and nearly a ton of topsoil to fill it out.
Any recommendations and ideas please?

[Elcie]

To be honest I have never lined a raised  bed but, having said that, mine have always gone on top of soil rather than concrete.  If I was going to line it I would look for something cheap like black plastic available from poundshops which I bought last year to plant squash through but I can't remember what it was called.  Was cheap though!

[noshed]

See if your council does compost from their recycling, you could bulk the beds out with that and then top it off with some multipurpose. Bung some hardcore or gravel in the bottom.

[prakash_mib]

There you go.
coming good. ordered top soil and they are tipping tomorrow.

[Elcie]

Well done Prakash, that was quick!  Will look great when you have things growing there.  It is amazing what you can grow in even the smallest spaces.