Help, suggestions and advice please my lovelies.

[Jay-ell]

I suppose it comes down to -
Half a dozen beetroots, 12 carrots, spinach for 4-6 meals, 24 radish, 18 spring onions, 1 kale, 3 lettuce and my hanging baskets for toms.
OH’s eating habits have changed to the point of daft but even a tiny amount would keep me happy.

If you have a bit of ground space you could look at replacing some of them with some perennial equivalents so that once planted you don't have to sow them each year.

E.G. for the kale there's Jersey, Taunton Deane or Daubentons kale. TD seems to like to grow big, Daubentons seems smaller, Jersey gets to 8 foot tall at least .

Instead of spring onions there's Welsh Onions and Walking Onions. You can either leave enough of them in the ground to multiply each year or just snip them off at soil level and they'll grow back. They'll flower but the walking onions will actually make more onions instead of seeds which you can plant (or they will) for even more onions. There's a type of Welsh Onion called Perutil which isn't supposed to flower so has a longer harvest period.

There's some perennial spinach substitutes - although some are more like spinach, some are less like spinach. Good King Henry (aka Lincolnshire Spinach) is perennial, unfussy about soil, easy to grow and can thrive on neglect. It does go to seed in the heat and you can either let it self seed or chop it back. Dies down in the winter and comes back in spring.

There's no perennial lettuce that I know of (edible perennial lettuce that is) but things like wild rocket, dandelions , Hawthorn leaves, Lime (linden) leaves (ok, these last 2 are in case you happen to have them growing already) are all perennial salad crops.

Alternatively you could let one or two lettuce plants self seed around the bed and harvest the excess as microgreens.

Unfortunately I can't make suggestions for the beets, carrots and radishes as eating a plants roots usually end up with the plant not lasting much longer. There is skirret which has a sweet carroty flavour (it's in the same family) but it long thin knobbly, twist/twiney roots look like an explosion in a Cthulhu factory. Once you have the plant it's easy to propagate - just snap a bit of the roots off, stick it in the ground then go and do something else for a while. Unfortunately it takes a couple of years to get a large root system and first year roots might have a woody core (haven't tried my 2nd year roots yet)

They are also a beach to clean - I've been tempted to use the jet washer to get into the knobbly bits.

[rary]

Lumpy I would suggest putting bits of sponge in the base of the pots you are going to grow leafy plants, eg. cabbage, chard lettuce and the likes, this would cut down the need to water all the time, I have a number of flower baskets with sponge in the bottom and have hardly watered them, maybe once every three weeks

[Bren In Pots]

Lumpy I've only this year discovered Land cress and its quick to grow its cut and come again and does taste nice amongst lettuce on your plate.

[Yasai]

Lumpy I would suggest putting bits of sponge in the base of the pots you are going to grow leafy plants, eg. cabbage, chard lettuce and the likes, this would cut down the need to water all the time, I have a number of flower baskets with sponge in the bottom and have hardly watered them, maybe once every three weeks

What a great idea! I’ve never heard of that before. Thanks.

[Kirk]

Have found that growing in pots does as you are asking need thought.
Assuming nothing in the ground and all in pots them a couple of tomato's, One called Red Paer seems resoanble thism year. But there are lots to choose from - try the realy small ones.

A couple of peppers (this year I have 2 good ones called Sweet Banana) Looks like I will get 2 or 3 off of each.

A chilli called Lemon Drop is also looking good, really bright lemon yellow chilli's look good on it.

Intend to overwinter the chilli and at least one pepper.

Little success with carrots but I may try the "competition option = get some 4" piping, cut into 7 sections, tie 6 around a central one and fill with compost and 2 seeds in each (keep the strongest). Could make up 2 or 3 blocks and see the results. Carrots seem to need a deep run to put out their tap root.

Many things are not overly worth it. Generally I find onions fall into this as they are basically just onions, taste more or less the same and plain inexpensive at the supermarket. I picked up 3 red onions at Tesco yesterday and they came to 25p. Seriously is the cost of seed, compost, pot etc greater.

Did try courgette in pots, 12" I think, varied success. may need bigger pot but likely in the ground next year, just 2 of them.

Have pot of rocket. Do herbs etc count?

Have had success with potatoes, big pot and compost+manure mix and 3 or 4 potatoes like PFA or Anya. They were very successful. To harvest just dig around with hands Old mixture can be put on garden or just add more manure for the next year.

Not sure about turnips, pick them at 3-4" ball size.

Wonder if the carrot bundle would grow leeks? Suspect a reasonable option.

Suppose there are spring onions but I have never managed anything. Also chives.

[self-contained]

Hi Lumpy

Obviously, I'm still pretty new to all of this but I've got two years worth of experience of growing in containers with relatively little free time (though obviously without the additional pressures that you have to deal with). The biggest problem with containers is having to stay on top of the watering and feeding. I haven't tried sponges, but I do have a few self-watering containers (including some huge ones from Lidl) which have been helpful. Bigger containers need watering less often, as long as you haven't put anything too hungry in there and you give them a really good soak when you do water them. Mulching is also very helpul. I just use anything that is easy to shred a bit by hand (rhubarb/cabbage/squash leaves have been particularly good).

I've also found that some crops are more tolerant of a bit of neglect than others. My cabbages and kale have managed pretty well (though pests have been a problem and I was thinking they may make better winter/spring crops for someone who can't be doing with the faff of brassica cages). Beetroot also seems pretty tolerant of neglect, as long as you don't mind getting roots on the smaller side. Sorrel looks really awful when neglected, but seems to spring right back as soon as it's watered.

I'm also trying to work on more perennials or self-sowing annuals to reduce my work in the garden in future. I've got some red and white Welsh onions going (happy to send you some seed if you want to PM me your address, I have more than I will ever sow and they are seeming really vigorous so far) and some walking onions. I'd like to expand my low maintenance fruits as I currently just have one gooseberry and rhubarb, but I have hoped for some dwarf trees and other bushes. Hoping to get some perennial kale at some point too. Then I have things like American land cress and Claytonia which should self-sow if in a large enough container.

Then, if you want, you might choose one or two higher-maintenance crops that you just really really like. Having grown cucumbers for the first time this year, I can't imagine ever having a garden that doesn't include them, even though they do want lots of watering. I know others feel that way about tomatoes, or peas, or sweetcorn, or whatever else seems to make all the effort worthwhile.

You have gardener running through you like a stick of rock, Lumpy. So, like you say, even a little is better than nothing

[Snoop Puss]

I suppose it comes down to -
Half a dozen beetroots, 12 carrots, spinach for 4-6 meals, 24 radish, 18 spring onions, 1 kale, 3 lettuce and my hanging baskets for toms.
OH’s eating habits have changed to the point of daft but even a tiny amount would keep me happy.

To be honest, Lumpy, if I was in your position and had as little space as you, I'd probably stick in the main to herbs and edible flowers. Both useful and possibly even perennial and hardy in the case of some of the herbs, and something pretty and special in the case of the flowers. The exception would be I'd still grow toms, as shop-bought ones are so disappointing in comparison.

But that's just me.