Low-maintenance veg tips

[PhantomVeg]

Having been on an allotment waiting list for 3 years I'm being proactive this year and making my own. There are several unused flowerbeds and bits of municipal wasteland that are crying out for veg. So... does anyone have any advice about plants that will grow well with little tending or weeding (I admit I'll have to do some, but I don't want to draw too much attention to myself!)

Jim

PS Hello Mother!

[terrier]

You could plant loads of spuds for a start, although the haulms would be pretty difficult to disguise once they grew in rows!

[Flummery]

Hello Son! At 6ft 8" how can you NOT draw attention to yourself?
As you know, I favour septic-coloured things hanging on vines - no-one's going to try eating them! Purple podded beans and peas for eg - I'll let you have some plants in due season. In yer average British Summer they'll get enough water!
There are quite a few low-growing herbs and such that you'd get away with. I'll be interested to hear what others reckon. Sprouts are too obvious!

Welcome to the Grapevine, it's full of friendly and knowledgeable people - and me!

[smallblueplanet]

Hi Phantom, what about courgettes? Normally you get soooo many people don't want them off you, and don't need too much looking after when established?

Oh and other squashes?

[scarey55]

Hello Young Mr Flummery, pleased to make your aquaintance.

'fraid I don't know much about gardening - only just started meeself last year but I just wanted to say welcome to the Vine. Having said that - don't know if garlic needs much attention: it grows below ground and only has tall leaves showing that could be anything

Actually, your Mum seems to know ever such a lot but then.... I never much listened to my Mum either

[shirlthegirl43]

Hi and welcome to the vine. Good luck with your guerilla gardening.

[veg4681]

Welcome to the vine, Mr Tallman .

I'm thinking the growing space is somewhat limited so I'm thinking leafy vegetables as I personally find them almost fail proof. Perpetual spinach, swiss chard, watercress and chinese/oriental leafy veg (Pak Choi, Choy Sum, Kailaan, edible Amaranth etc) but the chinese leaves cannot be used as 'cut and come again' which may not be cost effective for the space they occupy on your bed. Same thing with 'cut and come again' variety of lettuces and salad leaves. I personally like Romaine cos type lettuce which is fleshier than Lollo Rossa that is too thin or 'plasticky' for me.

Tomatoes are useful to have for that essential salad and you can grow them in pots but you could try and choose an outdoor/cooler weather variety if it's your first attempt and you want guaranteed success.

I think climbing veggies are useful for the relatively small space they occupy yet can give you bountiful crops. Think beans as in runner and French beans. We grew only two runner beans and just couldn't cope with them (2 adults and a child). If you can spare a space for courgette, I think they're worth it although they can take up a lot of space (however there are compact variety). Artichoke are ornamental looking that can pass off as garden shrub and they're perennial.

I don't know much about root veggies but they could be low maintenance, I'll let others advise on this. Chunky brassica (cauli, cabbage, broccoli, sprouts etc), not sure, too long growing and has issues with clubroot and white butterfly/caterpillar but if you must choose one, cabbage is the easiest one I think. And then there are mini veg varieties, veg with substantially shorter growing period that probably looks more like leafy veg.

[Snadger]

I would imagine you need stuff that doesn't look out of place and blends in with the surroundings. Garlic is a good example which has very little foliage as are pinches of carrots sown in a dry hedgerow. An odd potatoe stuck in among Dahlia plantings wouldn't be noticed too much. Jerusalem artichokes resemble sunflowers so could go at the back of someones border. Most non-gardeners wouldn't know a herb if they saw one so the likes of lemon balm, thyme, coriander could be tried. An odd french bean dotted here and there would probably go unnoticed as well!

Good luck, and if it all works out please post a few piccies to enthuse the rest of us!

[Two_Sheds]

If it's municipal, is it public access land? Is it likely to have noxious things sprayed/poured onto it? (weedkiller, urine etc) Or noxious stuff actually in the soil?

If not, go for it

[Snadger]

................. noxious things sprayed/poured onto it? (weedkiller, urine etc).......................

We have had theads advocating using wee as a high nitro fertiliser but beware!!

Behind my hut is an enormous thistle which was flourishing. My experiment involved peeing on the centre of the thistle each time I got caught short to see if it would grow more or less. After about a month of peeing on it it is black and dead!
Ammonia(wee) or sulphate of anmmonia can be used as a fertiliser or a weedkiller, the knack is , getting the dosage right!

Sorry to hijack the thread!

[veg4681]

We have had theads advocating using wee as a high nitro fertiliser but beware!!

Ammonia(wee) or sulphate of anmmonia can be used as a fertiliser or a weedkiller, the knack is , getting the dosage right!

Anyway, why do we buy Ammonia when you can be more green with Pee for Free? .

[Seahorse]

Having been on an allotment waiting list for 3 years I'm being proactive this year and making my own. There are several unused flowerbeds and bits of municipal wasteland that are crying out for veg. So... does anyone have any advice about plants that will grow well with little tending or weeding (I admit I'll have to do some, but I don't want to draw too much attention to myself!)

Jim

PS Hello Mother!

Guerilla Gardening! Excellent! As well as the above, how about things that don't look like recognisable (to most) veg at all? Good King Henry, Burdock, Alexanders, that kind of thing. I'd be happy to send you a few seeds, just PM me.

We have had theads advocating using wee as a high nitro fertiliser but beware!!

Behind my hut is an enormous thistle which was flourishing. My experiment involved peeing on the centre of the thistle each time I got caught short to see if it would grow more or less. After about a month of peeing on it it is black and dead!
Ammonia(wee) or sulphate of anmmonia can be used as a fertiliser or a weedkiller, the knack is , getting the dosage right!

Sorry to hijack the thread!

Aside from this being an image I didn't really want do you mean peeing on the plant itself? Surely it's the soil around it that would benefit? Or have I totally misunderstood

[Flummery]

There's a lot of wild alexanders around Phantom's neck of the woods. As to the wee-wee hijack - that's Snadger being Snadger! Experimental gardening you might call it.

[Snadger]

.............. do you mean peeing on the plant itself? Surely it's the soil around it that would benefit? Or have I totally misunderstood?

I peed on the plant but if you like I'll do another experiment peeing beside another one!

In all honesty, I don't think it would make much difference, the thistle would die because it, and it's roots were scalded by the neat ammonia methinks. It's similar to pouring weak sulphuric acid over it, or intensified acid rain !

Once again appologies for thread hijacking!

[Seahorse]

I peed on the plant but if you like I'll do another experiment peeing beside another one!

I think you should!