Kitchen Garden Forum

Still waiting to see if we're staying in Finland for another year, but if so, I want to get planning for this summer. We still have 3 feet of snow, but it will melt eventually.

Any suggestions for crops I can grow quick and in pots or a small space. I need to ask our landlord if I can dig in his back garden, but will get some pots for the patio.

Last summer it was warm from May when we arrived (snow before that) until end of August when it started getting chilly. It was in the 30s for most of June, July and part of August.

So I need something I can start in April outside as don't have indoor space and have toddlers, that will come into fruition by August.

I'm going to buy some strawberry plants. Lettuce would work, but wouldn't get eaten much, so probably won't waste the space.

Help, a year away from the plot and my brain has turned to mush.

Beans.French,Broad, or if you must, Runner.
Courgettes/Marrows
Carrots, Beetroot
Potatoes(probably only earlies)
Salads,Radishes,Herbs

Dear Malk,
add to the list cucumbers, some speedy varieties of squash and pumpkins also spinach, tomatoes and swiss chard. If you can get seeds growing indoors you should as you can add three weeks to a month onto your growing season.
Regards Sally Wright.

Mooli can be planted earlier than normal radish,a good hardy bulky crop, and can be used in stirfries and grated, in salads, don't forget your fences, cane fruit can be very productive on a fence plant the canes a little distance from the fence so they get adequate rain and train up against the fence, mulch well, what grows in the first year fruits in the second year. Only buy one plant of each then in autumn bury a cane tip still attached to parent in the ground or a pot and it will root giving you a new plant to cut away from the parent plant in spring.

Hi Maulk

I would go for courgettes and a cherry variety of tomatoes. They grow and ripen quickly. You will need to get some seeds going now indoors or buy some young plants once it gets a bit walmer.

David

I can't really add anything to the above suggestions other than, perhaps, annual herbs like dill, chervil and sweet marjoram?

In any case, it's lovely to hear from you again, Malk!

How about Pak Choi. I'm no expert but pretty easy to grow and I heard that they do better when sown as the days grow shorter. They grow quickly and and in the past they've bolted quickly for me and I read somewhere to sowing them in/from June helps counter this. Great in stirfrys.

Thanks all. We found out we are staying, so can start planning. Need to find where I can get some seed here and figure out someplace to maybe grow inside, but light is so poor just now. Can't use the fences, nature's babe, they have this horrible climber all over them that smothers everything.

Like cherry tomato - Son1 loves them
courgettes
pumpkins, but not sure about the space, the ones I grew in UK needed lots.
love beans, so will try something there.
maybe cucumbers as well, but never had much luck with them.
carrots and maybe beetroot.

would grow pak choi and spinach, but I'm the only one who really likes them. no point with salads. maybe grow some basil as it's a herb I use a lot.

we tried watermelon last year as the boys love it, but they didn't germinate, so will maybe try those again, but again, space issues.

Need to talk to my landlord about digging the ground, but the climber on the fence blocks a lot of light, so the deck will probably be our best option.

thanks again, will keep you informed how things go.

We all miss you Malk.