Compact gardening special

Autumn days are now here. The leaves of deciduous trees are starting to show their colours and the heat haze of summer is disappearing. As the days are getting shorter the nights are getting longer and in the south these nights can have a definite nip in the air. This is the time to finish harvesting those late summer crops to make way for the sowing of winter varieties.

In a small garden where growing space is at a premium the mantra is ‘out with the old and in with the new’. Most potted herbs tend to flower at the end of summer. If seeds are allowed to form after the flowers, the plant can lose energy and the leaves can become bitter if used in the kitchen. Grab your sharpest kitchen scissors and give all your herbs a good haircut. And when I say haircut I mean short, back and sides not a Justin Bieber do!

After removing all the flowers and seed heads, give your potted herbs a good feed. I fill a bucket with a liquid fertiliser, or worm juice from your worm farm, and sit the pot fully submerged in this nutritious milkshake for at least five minutes. When all air bubbles have stopped rising to the surface you know that the soil is completely wet. Remove the pot from the bucket and allow to drain.

This is also an excellent time to start off any new plants from the cuttings you have just created. These can be potted up and given as gifts to friends and family. Just choose strong-looking cuttings around 5-7cm long with at least 4 sets of leaves on them. Cut the stem on an angle and gently plant in a sandy soil mixture. Keep the soil constantly damp but not waterlogged and the cuttings should take around a month to form their own strong root systems.

Now is the time to take down tired hanging baskets and replace the soil and replant. Remember you don’t have to grow pretty annuals in your hanging baskets – why not consider growing mesclun, lettuce, herbs or edible flowers such as borage or calendula instead. A good trick is to place a saucer in the base of the hanging basket before you put the soil in. This helps to conserve moisture inside the basket.

At this time of year you should also retire your upside-down tomatoes. Upside-down gardening is a great way to grow oodles of cherry tomatoes using just air space – going into winter you can also use this trick for winter herbs. Try growing mint out the bottom and plant coriander or parsley in the top of the bucket – two winter-loving herbs in the same space. See the opposite page for a guide to starting an upside-down garden.

Planting now

Mesclun

Mesclun mix costs a fortune in the supermarket and who knows what has been sprayed on it. Grow your own constant supply at home in any small space. Any flat pot with a large surface area works well. I have also grown it in hanging baskets with good results. Use mesclun regularly by cutting leaves with scissors – new leaves will regrow. If you are growing this on a very sunny balcony or patio, sow the seeds under taller crops so it has some shade. This helps stop it bolting to seed. I grow my mesclun in a suspended gutter on the outside of my balcony railing. Any guttering with attached ends will do the trick. To do this yourself, just drill a few small holes in the bottom of the guttering and fix with wire to your balcony railing, fence or wall. Fill with the best quality potting mix and then sow the seeds and press into the soil. I sow half the length of the guttering and then sow the other half after three weeks. This way I have a constant supply of fresh salad over the months to come.

Beetroot

Plant them in window boxes or pots. If space is really at a premium why not plant them between established flowering pot-plants as the leaves are very attractive in their own right. Beetroot has to be my favourite vegetable. It is just so versatile as you can use the tender leaves in salads and the root can be enjoyed raw or cooked or even juiced. Beetroot was originally a seaside plant and is actually quite tough and forgiving of a little neglect. Try not to over love them and they will reward your tough love with jumbo beetroot for your burgers. The individual seeds are encased in a corky capsule. As with all root vegetables it is best to plant from seeds – don’t waste your money buying seedlings to plant. I soak the seeds overnight before sowing. Each plant requires around 8 cm of space to develop. They like a sunny position.

Carrots and radishes

Carrots and radishes make a great team in a small space. They can be planted in any pot or trough. Sow the seeds together. Carrots are slow to germinate, but the radishes will pop up within a couple of days, marking the area and breaking the surface for the delicate carrot seeds. The trick to achieving a good germination rate with carrot seeds is to choose fresh seeds and to ensure that once sown the area is kept constantly moist until the carrots germinate. When the radishes are ready to harvest the carrots will still be very small. This way you can get two crops in the one small space. Remember to choose a pot which will provide a generous soil depth for the developing carrot. Alternatively choose a variety called Parisian Market. This carrot is a French heirloom and grows to look like an orange-gold ball, perfect for pots.

Top tip: bean screens

For apartment dwellers who want a little more privacy on their balcony, consider growing broad beans. They are fast-growing so you can create an edible green screen in a couple of months. As the plants grow, stake them to give them support from winds. Bamboo stakes or tying the stems on to the balcony railing work well. To plant, soak the seeds in water overnight and then sow directly in large pots or planters. Sow the seed 5cm deep and 15cm apart with the seed scar downwards. Nip the tops out (nice in a stirfry or salad) to encourage the plant to bush. If space is limited choose the dwarfing variety such as Coles Dwarf. These only grow to around one metre. The beans need bees or bumblebees to pollinate so plant some lavender, alyssum or other bee-attracting flowers around the beans.

Soil and fertiliser

Autumn is the time to start gathering fallen leaves. If you have a compost bin you can add these leaves directly. They are rich in minerals so are very valuable to any productive garden. Tip for small-space gardeners: if you don’t have room for a compost bin it is still possible to collect leaves in a large hessian sack or onion bag and then store this bag in a cool shady spot for several months. The leaves will break down and can then be applied as a mulch to the top of pots and planters or mixed with fresh potting mixture prior to planting.

Trenching is another easy way to compost without bins or heavy work turning heaps and suits small courtyard and townhouse gardens. Next to your plants dig a trench in the soil around 30 cm deep. Place kitchen scraps (avoiding meat, dairy or fat) into the trench and cover with the soil. The plants’ roots will reach into this new organic compost and earthworms will help turn it into food for your plants. This type of composting also prevents smells and flies but I don’t recommend it if you have a digging dog!

Fruity ways to save space

Even small-space gardeners can enjoy fresh home-grown fruit. Espaliering is a way of restricting and training a fruit tree into a flat shape that can still produce large amounts of fruit. An espaliered tree becomes its own artform and can look stunning in a large pot on any sunny balcony, or against a fence. Many nurseries have trained espaliered apple, fig or pear trees for sale in large pots.

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