Newbie in need of growing advice for myself and young child

[Sarahmackins1974]

Hi all

Hoping someone could help with some advice I am beginner myself but want to grow something (preferably veg we can later eat) with daughter (just turned 3).

Main problem is we live in a flat and outdoor space we have isn't secure area so would prefer indoor window box ideas if possible but if not limited space outdoor ideas at a stretch (similar setting to large balcony space - outdoor space is solid roof extension of shop below us and not securely fenced leaving dangerous one storey drop to side (awaiting landlord permission to alter this) so would prefer small walk in greenhouse ideas if setting up outside to give contained space for daughters safety)

Next problem is keeping daughters interest at only 3yrs old - ideas happily received

Personally I would prefer fruit/veg ideas so we can eat produce (if grown successfully) and easy grow ideas as I don't have very green fingers and will take time to learn myself.

Grateful for any tips / ideas anyone can come up with hopefully not costing a fortune to set up
Many thanks
Sarah

[rustylady]

Fast growing things are always good for children. Baby leaf salad can be grown on indoor windowsills, as can the old favourite of cress.

Getting too late in the year to start anything for outside, but next year you can do tomatoes in pots on the roof terrace.

[Two_Sheds]

It all comes down to light: plants need light, and lots of it. There isn't much light indoors, not even on a sunny windowsill (many of our house plants would actually be shade dwellers in their natural homes).

Do you have no access to a real garden? A neighbour's, relative's?

[Sarahmackins1974]

Fast growing things are always good for children. Baby leaf salad can be grown on indoor windowsills, as can the old favourite of cress.

Getting too late in the year to start anything for outside, but next year you can do tomatoes in pots on the roof terrace.

Thanks rustylady, this all started from a cress growing project just wanted to expand a bit had a feeling with winter coming and the usual UK weather this would be another issue but not knowing much about gardening thought I would confirm. Garden centre lady gave me a flowerpot filled with compost soil and a packet of runner beans but didn't seem very convincing that this would succeed either indoor or outdoors this time of year so thought I'd join a website forum and pick the brains of some people that know what they are talking about before expanding. Had thought about herbs but salad would be better as more used in our household than herbs, would like to do carrots and tomatoes but thought this would be outside project and have no idea of planting seasons etc for such projects so would need more advice before starting something outside on a larger scale than a window box
Thanks for your reply
Sarah

[Sarahmackins1974]

It all comes down to light: plants need light, and lots of it. There isn't much light indoors, not even on a sunny windowsill (many of our house plants would actually be shade dwellers in their natural homes).

Do you have no access to a real garden? A neighbour's, relative's?

Sadly only a couple of family in the area one with a concrete yard much the size of our roof area and not seen regularly and grandparents that I don't think will want their lawn area dug up for no more often than a fortnightly visit to check growth of daughters vegetable project that meanwhile they would end up having to look after. If we can get own roof area fenced off securely I'd be ok with using outside just cautious given the age of daughter and also having a 9mnth old to watch at the same time
Thanks for idea though
Sarah

[alldigging]

Cress.
Start broad beans on blotting paper in jars in spring.
Grow salad leaves in pots. The cut and come again type.

[veggiechicken]

Hello again Sarah! Cress is not the only leaf plant that will grow quickly indoors and you can also sprout seeds in jamjars and trays. Here are some suggestions Seeds to Sprout
I don't know how you access your outside space but could you put a few pots outside the door or window that can be seen from inside, that you could water when your daughter is asleep Perhaps some overwintering broad beans or peas, that you could eat as pea shoots? Mixed salad leaves, as the others have suggested, would also be good on a windowsill.
Forget any hope of growing runner beans, tomatoes or carrots until the spring! Use your pot of compost for something else!

[Potstubsdustbins]

Chase up getting the roof area secure for next spring and you will very supprised what you can grow in containers. Save you runner beans seeds till next year they will be perfectly OK to use then.

In the mean time do as the others have suggested and start getting a few things together. Have a look round for containers that you can use, old plastic buckets, water tanks, dustbins etc.

Colin

[Sarahmackins1974]

Hello again Sarah! Cress is not the only leaf plant that will grow quickly indoors and you can also sprout seeds in jamjars and trays. Here are some suggestions Seeds to Sprout
I don't know how you access your outside space but could you put a few pots outside the door or window that can be seen from inside, that you could water when your daughter is asleep Perhaps some overwintering broad beans or peas, that you could eat as pea shoots? Mixed salad leaves, as the others have suggested, would also be good on a windowsill.
Forget any hope of growing runner beans, tomatoes or carrots until the spring! Use your pot of compost for something else!

Firstly thanks for the link to other ideas to follow the idea of cress great for a newbie like myself who knows nothing useful on gardening the set we had was just a layer of cress seed on blotting paper in small cardboard box so had thought of redoing the way I did as a kid with damp cotton wool ball in egg shell growing cress like hair
Access not easiest to explain but if you imagine a yard garden at the front of a normal house only with a one storey drop each side only blocked with basic railing like the horizontal ones along a seaside with huge gap to easily climb through (and extremely tempting to children) to left and right sides looking out from our front door the fenced area (if it can be called that :/ ) is the solid roof area of shop below us which we walk across to gain access which is up a flight of metal stairs going down to ground level hope that makes sense??
So although we have some outside area it is solid and can't be dug into so would be containers or raised bed structures of some sort and would have to be extremely watchful of 3yr old daughter and 9mnth old son while outside due to fencing problem
being up a level also gives us the problem of being rather windy and shaded by surrounding buildings so we get daylight but not necessarily sunlight warmth
May sound stupid question but does "overwintering" mean plant now growing over winter to crop in spring? Or that they can grow and produce crop during winter months?
Had a gut feeling I was being swindled at garden centre with runner beans in a pot I mean she didn't even mention putting anything in pot for them to grow up and even as a newbie I know beans in allotments grow up poles or trellis like structures will save rest of packet to plant outside next spring up a trellis (will help block part of badly fenced edging )
Thanks for help
Sarah

[Sarahmackins1974]

Chase up getting the roof area secure for next spring and you will very supprised what you can grow in containers. Save you runner beans seeds till next year they will be perfectly OK to use then.

In the mean time do as the others have suggested and start getting a few things together. Have a look round for containers that you can use, old plastic buckets, water tanks, dustbins etc.

Colin

Have been wanting to securely fence area for sometime now even before having kids but is rented accommodation and need the ok from landlord still not confirmed as changed landlord (housing association based in London) and dragging through middle man estate agents
Since it looks as though most things will be next spring it will give us some time to organise some tubs etc and stocking up on soil ready to plant, at least it gives me time to spread the cost out a bit nice to see some ideas in place of huge expensive planters and corner trellis box planting structures
Thanks
Sarah

[veggiechicken]

Got that Sarah!! You go up a flight of outside stairs, and walk across an open roof to your front door.
Sounds rather hazardous with 2 young children. If you can get the landlord to fence it securely, then put trellis around it on all sides and a row of planters in front you should be able to grow quite a bit and make it all look more attractive and usable too.
Overwintering of peas and broad beans means just what you said, planted in the autumn to give them earlier cropping in the spring. It can also mean keeping plants like peppers, that need warmth, growing indoors through the winter.
Most plants need light and warmth to grow so, say broad beans, planted now would put down roots and grow a bit before the cold weather of winter arrives, then do very little through the winter and start growing again when the warmer spring weather starts.

[Sarahmackins1974]

Got that Sarah!! You go up a flight of outside stairs, and walk across an open roof to your front door.
Sounds rather hazardous with 2 young children. If you can get the landlord to fence it securely, then put trellis around it on all sides and a row of planters in front you should be able to grow quite a bit and make it all look more attractive and usable too.
Overwintering of peas and broad beans means just what you said, planted in the autumn to give them earlier cropping in the spring. It can also mean keeping plants like peppers, that need warmth, growing indoors through the winter.
Most plants need light and warmth to grow so, say broad beans, planted now would put down roots and grow a bit before the cold weather of winter arrives, then do very little through the winter and start growing again when the warmer spring weather starts.

As you say if we could sort out fencing could be made into lovely area (I'm still working on it with landlord but I don't give up easily so fingers crossed by spring I can get some of these great ideas into action)
Thanks for confirming and expanding overwintering term
You are correctly seeing how we access home and area to work with and yes hard and sometimes extremely difficult if not scary with ages of children particularly during winter months on stairs :/
If you (or anyone else) can recommend a good link to a Gardening Calendar of when to plant and sow what I will endeavour to sort out outdoor area to give us better options and space
Thanks
Sarah

[veggiechicken]

Try this one Vegetable Diary Planner shows when to plant vegetables You can put your own location in and it adjusts the calendar to suit you.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Sarah do you know which way your area face's i.e. South hopefully.

Did you know that most local councils have a special dept for people with problems in rented accomodation. Your access sounds naughty to me and if so, they will give the landlord instructions to make it secure with a time limit on when it is to be done.

Colin

[Sarahmackins1974]

Thanks to veggiechicken for planting calendar link and info about councils from potstubsdustbins I will look into that thanks