[Lardman]

I have a strip of ground on the retained side of a 3ft retaining wall - It is currently home to 3 currant bushes, 1 ribes (don't ask) and a quince.

I hate to bin perfectly good plants but I just don't use the currants or quince and the ribes is leftover from when I moved in. Can anyone suggest something I could make better use of the space with ? The soil is pretty poor being next to the wall.

[Aunt Sally]

A row of peas - Yummmm

[mumofstig]

Herbs - if it's sunny 

[Lardman]

Herbs - if it's sunny 

Full sun to the north of the veg patch. It is however beyond my cat free zone, there are a lot of tom cats around and they do like to spray up everything.

Peas are an option ... 15ft doesn't seem a lot though.

Has anyone tried growing squash summer/winter up trellis ? I'm not adverse to building a frame. I did consider beans but the soil would really need to be improved.

[DD.]

Herbs - if it's sunny 

Peas are an option ... 15ft doesn't seem a lot though.

It's not.

BUT - it's 15' more than you would otherwise have had! 

[Auntiemogs]

Sugarsnaps, then you can eat the lot! 

[Lardman]

BUT - it's 15' more than you would otherwise have had! 

and about 30' less than a good meal   

Sugarsnaps, then you can eat the lot! 

Maggot and all 

[Auntiemogs]

Ooh, that confused me (and it doesn't take much) - one of my friends calls me Maggot!   

Hopefully, early peas will miss the maggot and I just try not to think about it tbh! 

If you have enough sun then winter squash will work but they are hungry so a good dollop of manure will help.  There are also climbing courgettes but I can't vouch for them yet as it's my first year with them.

If you put in a raised border you could grow all manner of stuff...

M 

[allot2learn]

You could go for a tall pea like alderman. At 6-7feet you'd get more.

[bravemurphy]

nice big comfrey bed probably stop the cats too and give you loads of leaves for your plot 

[Lardman]

nice big comfrey bed probably stop the cats too and give you loads of leaves for your plot 

I'll be digging up my comfrey patch later this year. It was a nice idea but the ratio of space to reward is low - or at least I think it is.

I bumped into this which seemed really impressive.

5gL39OPDVHo

[bravemurphy]

Wow that looks awsome got to build myself one of them.

[mumofstig]

I bumped into this which seemed really impressive

I grew my Tromba d'Albegna squash up a big wigwam last year - fantastic plants, really prolific, and the flowers really are huge 

[Lardman]

Wow that looks awsome got to build myself one of them.

Looks like a wicked excuse to play with the power tools does it  I have 3 north facing retaining walls it would be a shame to waste the opportunity.

I grew my Tromba d'Albegna squash up a big wigwam last year - fantastic plants, really prolific, and the flowers really are huge 

What do they taste like MoS,  could I make good use of them in the kitchen?

[shokkyy]

I grew my Uchiki Kuri squash up what's basically an old dead tree trunk in the middle of my lawn last year. I just put some wire round it so they had something to grab and away they went. They seemed to love it, only squash that gave me a good return in last year's horrible weather. I think it's an ideal way to grow squash, as long as it's a variety which doesn't have too heavy a fruit so it's a lot of hassle to support them. They like having their head in the sun and it keeps them away from the mud and slugs.

But I do also have a long, narrow strip of bed with horrible soil next to my garage, which sounds a similar sort of shape to yours. There's more stones there than decent soil, but I stuck some raspberries and loganberries and even a fan trained sweet cherry in it, and they're all storming away and doing very well there.