Posted by David on 26 May 2008

For the first time in my life I've started growing food. Not having an allotment I'm having a go at patio fruit and vegetables. Here's what I've got on the go at the moment.

Strawberries and Tomatoes

There's 20 strawberry plants in the stack system at the back, each layer of which can be easily separated to allow maximum light on all the plants. The two pots in front contain a Micro Tom and a Balcony Tom, kindly provided by my nextdoor neighbour Pauline.

Potatoes

I started these about a month ago. Originally I planted two seed potatoes, flagrantly ignoring the advice of our own gardening guru, Finbow, so will no doubt live to regret my wild decision but then I am a westerner so ignoring gurus comes naturally. Anyway, they were planted way down at the bottom of the pot which is a foot deep. I've earthed up and up and up so have added another foot of growing room utilising an apple box and a bin liner that the council forgot to seal the bottom of. Now there's reducing and reusing in action! We're the real McCoy at Sustianed you know. In fact, our magazine is actually printed on old cornflake boxes and demands from the Inland Revenue.

 Beans and more Tomatoes

Two pots of Dwarf Beans and one of Tumbling Tom. Thanks Pauline :o)

Blueberry and Nectarine

Amongst this collection of patio plants are a nectarine tree, the tall one, and a blueberry bush, back left.

The nectarine is the one that fascintes me as I can't believe it's possible to grow such fruit in Britain, certainly not in the North. I wonder if climate change has anything to do with that or has it always been possible to grow nectarines in the British Isles? I shall keep you posted on developments - with the nectarines not climate change.  You 've got plenty of folk keeping you posted on that subject.

Oh, where would we be if it weren't for our saviour Leonardo Di Caprio. Yeh okay, so I'm jealous. Bloody pretty boy rich kids coming along at the last minute (of the eleventh hour) to steal all the glory. . @%&**%^"!!! . . . .