Urban Farming

Latitude?

Jake is obviously well set up - I'm guessing somewhere warmer than me. I have half a dozen raised beds about 3 square metres each - but as we've had a bitterly cold spring here in the British midlands, only the onions sets and a few beetroot are planted out - everything else is in trays and pots in the greenhouse, pending our last frost, though most of it will get planted out over the next couple of weekends.

But we're already eating salad stuff grown in the greenhouse in containers, along with a few perennial garden salads (chives, garlic chives, lovage, fennel, sorrel) which are up and running.

And to answer the Evil Auditor - it's probably not worth the time it takes (or the money it costs) in British weather conditions, but there's no simple way to calculate this empirically. For example, I find that growing veg is an infinitely more rewarding and interesting way of exercising than going to the gym, and paying for membership thereof. And of course it's impossible to put a price on the benefit gained from eating stuff straight out of the ground - it tastes better, and my (probably biased) reading of the science says that many nutrients start to degrade as soon as a plant is lifted, so picking and eating on the same day may well have serious health/nutrition benefits compared to the 3-7 day latency inherent in supermarket shopping.

Of course having animals and grazing land means that you can use the resulting fertiliser to get more value from limited veg growing space - and I wonder if Jake uses the manure from his larger farm to boost the productivity of his urban veg garden. I would certainly grow more in the limited space I have (and use more of my garden for growing) if I had a ready source of good bullshit.

Which is one reason why I read the reg, especially on a Friday...

<ahem>

Does livestock count?

SWMBO has pet ducks and chickens, who produce so many eggs that the excess pays for their food. I was also daft enough to get her an incubator for Christmas so we've 6 or 7 who aren't old enough to lay yet.

Whilst our egg consumption has gone through the roof she won't eat chicken any more.

I have a couple of windowsills that are quite wide on the inside. The one downstairs has a trough with herbs growing coriander, mint etc.

Its a deep trough with about 3 inches of gravel at the bottom, it keeps it low maintenance (imo) because you can water it heavily once a week and it acts like a water reservoir, give it the odd trim when the herbs get to crazy, water it each week with a load of water from the fish tank change (good water for plants), it seems to have been working so far.

Have a few odd things I'm attempting like galangal and lemongrass not sure if its going to be warm enough for them though.

Haven't decided on the top windowsills yet, currently using one to experiment with growing some emersed fish tank plants. But I am thinking of trying micro salad or maybe some sort of veg.

I've lived in houses or with people who have veg patches and it is some work, or light exercise depending on how you see it, but even simple things like chips made with newly dug potatoes that are sweet and earthy....

I can understand why people bother.

Unfortunately when it comes to horticulture I have what can only be classed as "brown fingers", i.e. everything I try to grow dies - except certain weeds & grasses, which won't die even if I poison them thoroughly.

I tend to them according to what I've read, I ask advice from successful gardeners, I've tried checking I have the right soil balance and everything, but nothing I want to grow ever thrives. If I let someone else plant & tend for them then certain things like heathers & conifers may survive provided I don't touch them myself.

I do however have a fine crop of couch grass that so far has survived digging up and multiple applications of different appropriate weedkillers, and in a previous house the garage was completely smothered by Japanese Knotweed.

@Jake

I have a sort of ad hoc germination station for my tank plants, a fish tank with cling film on the top and a heat mat underneath.

Did you find the lemongrass needed heat? I seem to read mixed opinions.

All the lemon grass, galangal, and krachai has come from basically having some left over from buying in a supermarket and just thinking lets see if I can grow it, so at the moment its a no loss (and frankly minimal effort on my part) poke it in some dirt experiment rather than a serious attempt to grow it.They are on a W-SW windowsill in Yorkshire, the krachai seems to be rooting, the lemongrass has been in water and is starting to poke some roots through, think the galangal has died though.

@Corinne

Just my opinion but I think there's a little bit of an art to growing as well as science,wherever you put your plants they tend to have a slightly unique environment (light/shade humidity, drainage, soil makeup/structure), there's a lot of plants I grow just by checking them and deciding when to water or not, move the plant etc tempered by what I know of their conditions and how the plant looks like its doing.

I actually quite like this part of growing the observation and fiddling experimentation its like a little science experiment you can potter about with.

I'm a firm believer in evolution in the garden

... if it can't grow on its own without help it's doomed...

Herself is in charge of the pretty stuff and growing the lawn; I get to look after an 8'x6' green house and a couple of small raised beds.

Usually we get some sort of tomatoes and peppers working in the greenhouse - some curly orange Romano peppers from seeds taken from a supermarket pepper, last year, so I'm curious to see what the second generation does, and some dedo de mocha 'cold' peppers. And some strange Bulgarian tomatoes.

Outside, last year was not a great success. Some leeks worked, and some onions, but nothing else wanted to grow. Lettuces merely fed slugs, and cabbages won't grow for me at all. Even the apple tree didn't deliver, though the plums were so heavy they were breaking the branches off.

This year, there are potatoes outside (they'd started chitting in the kitchen) and there will be some beans, with luck.

Unfortunately not young any more, willing to go on the possibility of dumb.:)

It tends just from a bit of observation (just comparing to local weather from other people in nearby places - maybe hearsay is more accurate) to have a more warmer microclimate here nestled in a valley.

Its definitely been a case with the lemongrass etc of suck it and see with left overs rather than a proper attempt to grow. Weirdly out of the two stalks, the one that's produced roots doesn't seem to be shooting new greenery (and has been planted) the one that had been sitting in water and hadn't produced roots yet was going to be chucked but seems to be sprouting new fresh green growth (and as such has had a stay of execution.

I had a feeling the rhizomes may have been suffering since they have just been plonked in the same dirt trough as the mint, coriander, basil has been growing in. So have had the feeling it may be too damp and cause rot, but I was being lazy and to get to the bag of compost I had would have required emptying out the whole of the cupboard under the stairs. (sod law whatever you put at the back you need).

Next time I will try and rig up something like you suggested.

Window space is still premium at the moment as I am still growing bits of moss over wood etc, after that I think microsalad and sprouting seeds is going to get a try. I may even try rigging a mini hydroponic type set up, but I am also contemplating once an open topped fishtank is built planting in shower caddies around it and running some of the tank water through it or having it partially dipped in there and seeing if it wicks up - on the theory that its going to get nice warmth and a decent lighting from the tank lighting .

Just picked up a couple Ghost Pepper seedlings ...

... Wish me & mine luck, hopefully we'll survive ;-)

I don't currently do anything like this, but would like to in the near future. Best way to know that what you're eating hasn't been messed with.

Those 'chuck 'em in' spuds

Produced seven kilos from a square meter this weekend. Had another crop of rhubarb, too. Peppers coming along but I don't think the tomatoes love me any more, and the gigantes beans are in hurry up and wait mode.