I've only got access to a shared garden but I want to grow some veg and potatoes, which from a bit of initial research I can do using pots/containers. I'd also like to try growing tomatoes in the flat – my flat gets the sun from lunchtime – evening and so is pretty warm/light.

Can anyone recommend any good books/websites for beginners and which are relevant to growing veg in this way? And are there any drawbacks? (I know there's some benefits, such as reduced pests etc but not sure about growing toms in the flat?)

I have grown cherry tomatoes inside before, they smell amazing too. 😉

Done potatoes in bins/buckets as well, plant half way down and just keep building up the soil round the leaves as they grow up.

Can you put up hanging baskets dirtygirlonabike?

Peas, Tomatoes plus most herbs all do well in hanging baskets/window boxes.

no downside to growing toms inside? sort of worried about coming home one day to a flat full of insects!

can't put up hanging baskets and not sure about window boxes (stay on a first floor flat which is rent and not sure how i'd secure the box so it doesn't fall off in the wind…)

i've always wanted to do this and could do with a new hobby so seems like as good a time as any – except its probably too late in the season to do much!

Salad and herbs – rocket and other lettuce grows quickly and can be cropped without destroying the plant. Basil / parsley is easy as well. Too lat for spuds and stuff now I would say. Supermarket herb plants can be kept and continue to grow if you repot them with decent compost

Secure window boxes to the sill – a hook screwed into the window fram ( outside) each side and a wire round the window box to keep it in place

Not really dirtygirlonabike, worth choosing your tomato variety carefully as some some do take up quite some space, cherry tomatoes worked well for me.

Do you have any kids? If so, you will never see a ripe one 😉

My daughter has some outside her bedroom window this year, in a window box and they are looking good this year.

I am growing cherry toms and chillis indoors in my flat, and that only gets the sun from about 1 oclock onwards. I don't think there is any real drawback to growing them indoors, however the ones i moved outside do seem to be more productive. If you are only sowing the seeds now i think you would need to keep them indoors anyway as it will take a couple of months to get any fruit on them.

My toms are just starting to turn red now, i reckon I will be eating them by the end of the week 🙂

I bought a pack for growing mushrooms – you can pick themat whatever stage of growth you like. They're lovely when they're really small.

have a look for books by Bob Flowerdue(spelling?). great organic gardener known for not wasting any space. You'll be amazed at how little space you need to grow good food. As TJ says grow stuff that you can just remove a few leaves, "cut and come again" as me Grandad used to say.

Hey,

I had this book recommended to me……
…THE EDIBLE CONTAINER GARDEN, by
…M. Guerra

Its all about growing food in pots. Its not specifically for indoors, but apparently most of it is still relevant.

Hope it helps, keep us updated!!