Grow Your Own Magazine

hey all,

I'm new here and was just wondering if any of you had any advise i would like to start growing cetain vegs and fruits but i'm only able to do it indoors (i live in a flat) i would like to know how to grow,

Herbs

Potatoes
Broccoli
Carrots
Curly Lettuce
Spring Onions
Cucumber

Strawberries
Grapes
Kiwi

and am i right in thinking that i wouldn't be able to grow bananas, Apples and Satsumas.

Any help would be gratefully recieved

Thank you
Ebony

Welcome to the vine Ebony!

Do you have a balcony at least? I think Bananas and Satsumas are highly unlikely as these are tropical growing fruits.

Whereabouts in UK are you based as no location is given against your profile.

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Food for Free

Hi Ebony and welcome
Herbs are no bother in pots on your windowsill (a la supermarket types.)
Lettuce and Spring onions should be no bother in window box type pots or troughs, but tatties, kale and cucumber are all big bulky plants and probably not to be encouraged, unless you have a monster flat.
The carrots can be grown in buckets if you so wish, or alternatively, another window box type trough would be able to grow some of the smaller, round Paris Market types.

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Rat

British by birth
Scottish by the Grace of God

Blog updated Wednesday November 13th

Hi veg4681,

i'm in Stockport Manchester, i dont have a balcony i was planning on growing them in my kitchen (very big)

i just hate buying fruit and veg at the shops cos it costs a bomb and is covered in god knows what.

Thank you

i have around about 4ft by 3ft space in my kitchen possible more if i really need it up to 6ft 10 by 3ft. i hope this would be enough and i could get some window boxes, but would the be strong enough i'm in a first floor flat no one above just sky and one person below just worried if anything was to fall on anyone.

You can only grow stuff indoors if it's on a window sill Ebony (or maybe on a table VERY close to a window.) Even so you will have to turn the pots around to make sure they don't lean towards the light. Window boxes are better if they are outside but you'll need to make sure they are securely fixed.

Welcome to the grapevine and good luck.

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Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

Updated November 17th - The Big Dig

I gather that this allocated space is right next to an equally large window. You do need some light for your veggies to grow and those mentioned by Sewer Rat are doable examples.

I have seen pictures of tomato, aubergine, pepper and chilli (provided you know what you're doing, can be tricky even in garden with space) grown indoor right next to a large window (acting almost as greenhouse) in gardening books but they might be too tall that they may shade other low growing veggies like your lettuce. Short and compact leafy veggies may be possible, leafy salad, watercress so long they're given the chance to stand right next to the window.

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Food for Free

is it possible to grow potatoes and carrots indoors, as wouldn't they be to heavy to go in a window box???

Ebony, have you got a big window or a glass roof to part of your kitchen?

Vegetables need a lot of light to produce a crop and are only grown "indoors" where there is extra light provided.

It is possible to grow some herbs on a bright windowsill but otherwise you need big windows or a conservatory. Even then, it is not a suitable environment for growing potatoes or carrots.

I think you may be biting off more than you can chew.

Start with something small (like herbs) and investigate whether there is somewhere else you can grow your vegetables, like an allotment.

Ebony I grow Gardener's Delight tomatoes in the kitchen window bottom, this year they even came runners up in GYO Virtual Vegetable Show

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Bren

Hi Ebony, probably not telling you anything you don't already know but here's a link to allotments in your area:

Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council |Allotments

I have also done a mini tomato indoors - as a table centre! It was (I think) Robin F1 - bought as a kit from Woolworth. The most cute houseplant ever. You may also manage to grow some varieties of lemon and orange - I am sure the Dobbys have citrus fruit as houseplants. This thread might help you Potted Citrus indoor trees

Good luck with your growing. I suspect you could try the new courgette - Parthenon F1 hybrid - which doesn't need pollinating so (in theory) could be given a try. If you want to give it a try, send me a PM and I will post you a pair of seeds (only 5 in the packet sorry).

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

Oh Seahorse - want to tackle finding an allotment in my area?!?!?!?! It is just as well I have enough garden to grow veggies in

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

Remind me where you are Shirl so I can Google? I know it's either 'the back of beyond' or 'the land time forgot'...

Neither, or maybe both (depending on your view), we are in the land of the early potato - Pembrokeshire. No lotties I can lay hands on - there are some but as far as I can see only a half dozen all well cared for. Got offered one last year but it was a jungle and I decided to excavate the brambles at the back of the garden instead! Otherwise known as the town right between two refineries (or ferries to Ireland). See if you can find me!

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

i'm going to get some window boxes for herbs and lettuce if it will work (i can only try) someone said to me i could do cucumber, spring onions in a window boxes as well but i don't know much about them at the moment.

Unfortunately i dont have a big window in my kitchen, but my gran has offered to house the carrots i will plant.

That sounds good.

There's no reason why your lettuce and spring onions couldn't be successful in a window box, so go for it.

Cucumber plants can be quite big, and they need more space, and more soil to grow in than the others you have mentioned.

Hi Ebony, why not try a nice pepper plant in the window box, little hot ones like Apache, very handy for the chilli con carne hehe.
Welcome to the vine