The questions here obviously caught me at a weak moment. I don’t usually respond to blogs, let alone with such lengthy replies! I think I was avoiding work at the time.

Muriel

I discovered this blog when looking for info regarding farro. Just couldn’t resist giving a few pointers here, regarding growing vegies, as I have quite a large vegetable garden here.

First, tomatoes, pepper and aubergines (we call them eggplant here) are all from the same family and need similar growing conditions – that being lots of sun and lots of heat units. LOTS. They also need a long growing season, and I repeat, with lots of sun and lots of heat units. The choice of variety is very important if you are in a shorter growing season. The long skinny aubergines (Japanese) should produce fruit faster than the large egg-shaped ones.

With peppers and tomatoes, you need to research the varities that are better for a short growing season. With tomatoes it is generally the small-fruiting tomatoes that are best for container growing or short seasons. Hard skinned tomatoes are likely from lack of water, as the plant protects the all important eggs (seeds) so that they can ripen to produce viable seed.

The large varieties of squash need an even longer growing season.

Courgettes (we call them zucchini) may need to be hand pollinated. It seems to me that if water (by rain or irrigation) gets into the flower, then it destroys any hope of the zuke developing properly, but I am not positive about this.

Parsley, lettuce, chard, etc will bolt faster if dry or too hot. They should all do extremely well in London’s climate, if the slugs don’t get them first.

Cilantro needs to be grown from seed. It has a tap root, so buying starter plants is not a good idea, as the roots simply does not like having been cramped in a small space. Parsley also has a tap root but is slower growing. I have found it important to buy quite small plants, as the large lush ones will bolt much faster. My guess is that the cramped roots signal to the top of the plant to hurry and and produce those off-spring, as it can’t do much more at the bottom.

Regarding strawberries, my guess is that irregular water is the reason the berries were rock hard. When a plant is growing its fruit it needs plenty of moisture.

Lush tops with few potatoes is probably a result of too much nitrogen. Vegetables need fertilizer to get them growing but as they are nearing fruit-producing time, you should change to a fertilizer that is high in the last number (potash).

The reason potatoes have dirt piled up around the stem is to keep the light off of the potatoes as they are growing under the ground. Light turns them green. I use leaves rather than hilling them, as the leaves keep the light off and contribute to the health of the soil. With the early varieties of potatoes, which are they types that do not keep well in storage over the winter, I don’t even bother to put anything around the stem. My goal with that variety (Warba) is to steal the babies when they are around golf ball size. Then the plant keep producing more (remember its need to produce offspring) until I have disturbed its roots too many times and it gives up and dies. Usually a plant is good for about 3 such disturbances. It is important to water the plant after doing this.

If you haven’t been to a fantastic website called GardenWeb.com, I highly recommend it! They have countless categories of forums regarding gardening (and home renos too). I expect they have one on container gardening.

This is getting way too long. I must get back to work!

We too have been growing vegetables on the balcony for the last three years and have had similar results. Good tomatoes, chillies, lettuce, rocket and most herbs, disappointing or disastrous everything else – special mention going to this year’s aubergines. Problem is just as everything is beginning to bear fruit we bugger off on our summer hols, coming back to parched shrivelled wasteland.

Like the redesign by the way.

Best

R

Jeanne – Ah that is interesting about the beans. I had some and was going to plant them in pots myself but never got around to it. I guess at the very least they looked nice! I wonder if you can get a special variety for growing in pots – will look into it. ooh look this person has had some success

http://ventnorpermaculture.wordpress.com/2008/04/25/growing-runner-beans-in-containers/

On the Isle of Wight too – nice! Anyway, chillies. I don’t actually know what overwintering means but I am guessing it means bring them in over the winter?! Previously, I have let them die but this year I have decided to bring them in. It just never occurred to me before until I read about it somewhere. Will see what happens! What do you do?

I will pass the info about butternuts onto my mum. She has tried this year but with no success either. Perhaps it just isn’t possible then.

And my rosemary, sage and basil have grown like weeds!!

Do you keep your plants under the eaves or exposed? How much sun does your tomato plant get?

Kavey – Wow! You grew a lot of stuff there. I suppose things are different if you have an actual garden though. One day, one day…

aforkfulofspaghetti – ooh you had such an interesting range of veg there! I actually bought some radish seeds but never got around to planting them. Do you think they would be fine in pots? Only small, aren’t they?!

Jenn – Yes! Except I reckon you must grow GIANT versions of the things I grow with all that sun!

The Graphic Foodie – Well I think we just had them with a simple meal like a roast or something. I have to say though, the flavour of them was amazing! Such a shame but yes, very funny. The one huge advantage of having a balcony and of course being in a very urban area is that the bugs don’t really bother us. My Dad actually goes into his veg patch every night and removes all the snails by hand! Depends how squeamish you are I guess…

LexEat – PSYCHO-SQUIRREL! Cute, but a pain in the ass I imagine. Maybe you could try eating HIM ? IThe seeds need to be sown between March to April but I have done it in May and got away with it before. http://www.thompson-morgan.com/seeds1/product/743/1/

Charmaine – Yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s too late now to start growing chillies. Definitely do it next year though, they are so easy to grow.

Gourmet Chick – Ah yes! A friend did tell me that if you move it then it just gets all stroppy.

James – I love the idea of growing coriander cress, that is brilliant, thank you. As for the cucumbers, I did want to grow them – can you grow them in pots? The spaghetti squashes have always fascinated me too, you just use a fork to get the strands out don’t you? I’ve seen them on American blogs and for some reason thought you couldn’t get them over here.

Judy – Haven’t got a hydroponic growing site by any chance?

The Fastest Indian – Ahh, so maybe I should try my peppers again next year but keep them inside? Sounds like a good plan. That is interesting about the coriander. I will not give up!!

Helen – It’s frustrating isn’t it? I hear you on the salad leaves though. They are amazingly easy to grow and shoot up so fast. Incredibly satisfying.

eatlivetravelwrite – So glad to have inspired you!

Johanna – Ah yes, I have done exactly the same to a bay tree before. They do recover but it takes a couple fo years I’m afraid. As for the mint, yes I grow it too. It is actually a weed, which is why it grows so fast!

Ollie -ooh I didn’t know that about the potatoes but it does make perfect sense! I also heard that you are supposed to keep building up the earth so there is more room for potatoes but I didn’t write about it as I’m not sure of the method.

Sophie – Me too! I will check out that parsley variety as I would like to try a more robust variety. Are tumbling tomatoes the same as the ones I grew where they trail over the pot?