BBC Good Food

• Nicola

  27 May 2009, 2:05PM

  Nicola

  Well, I only have a balcony, and it doesn't get as much sun as I'd like, but I am trying. Most of my herbs are doing quite well (rosemary, lavender, mint, lemon thyme, sage, parsley and coriander) although i think my dill has had enough! I've also got a pot of strawberries (although i doubt that's going to bear much fruit), a rhubarb plant (not doing particularly well, but I only got it this year) and some lettuce (looking triumphant at the moment). As soon as I get some more pots I'll try planting beetroot and carrots...not sure they will like being pots, but it's worth a try!

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• lulu@olivemagazine

  27 May 2009, 4:30PM

  lulu@olivemagazine

  just make sure the carrots have tall pots or you choose a round variety!

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• vegeeta

  27 May 2009, 5:31PM

  vegeeta

  if we all start growing our own veg we are going to put the poor farmers out of business, I would hate to think of the poor farmer out of work on my behalf so i will carry on buying what he grows lol

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• Christine

  27 May 2009, 9:05PM

  Christine

  If you're having a problem with snails & slugs you may want to try eggshells. I put mine in the microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes (covered) before crushing as I have a toddler that wants to touch everything (and it also helps limit the smell of the eggs). Good luck!

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• sioden

  28 May 2009, 9:30AM

  sioden

  At the moment we grow an array of various vegetbales and herbs. We've already had several meals from a hugely successfull swiss chard crop. Looking forward to the tomatoes, beetroot, green beans, sweetcorn, squash, potatoes, chilli pepper, lettuce and garlic to be ready at various times!!! Even though veg from local farmers can be great - nothing beats picking fresh veg from the garden and cooking it then and there - doesn't get fresher than that!!!

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• provence51

  28 May 2009, 9:52AM

  provence51

  Ok! This may seem strange but in France we leave plates of beer which slugs love. They go for the beer and then drown in it because they are drunk..easy but true!

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• Girl Flower

  28 May 2009, 10:42AM

  Girl Flower

  I am just starting out on growing, living in a flat I have a small balcony (like Nicola it doesnt get loads of sun but is doing ok so far) I have lavender, thyme and rosemary but my problem is not slugs its squirrels! They keep trying to dig up my pots! Any suggestions for how to get rid of them? I want to try more things like tomatoes but don't want to invest if the squirrel will ruin it all.

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• schubun

  28 May 2009, 2:25PM

  schubun

  I've expanded my talents this year as my tomoatoes did so well, I'm now growing courgettes, peppers, lettuce, celery, strawberries as well as tomatoes, all in pots, not sure how the courgettes will do in a pot so I just bought a huge one and fingers crossed! Does anybody have any good ideas of what flowers to plant near to the veggies to encourage the bees? After a stressful day at work there's nothing better than to come home potter around in the garden and then to eat something that you've grown yourself, very rewarding.

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• Belit

  28 May 2009, 9:12PM

  Belit

  The only thing that will get rid of those nasty slugs is to pick them, kill them and destroy them. Manually. I hear cutting them in pieces and burning them tends to work well. Seriously.

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• cooks diary

  1 June 2009, 5:24PM

  cooks diary

  I am thinking of growing my own Herbs,As i waste so many of the bought ones,only trouble is my cats,I could grow them in large pots.I saw grow your own chillies the other day im getting quite enspired only trouble is getting on with it.

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• Raych60

  1 June 2009, 8:26PM

  Raych60

  Theres a great website called Gardenbargains.com which sells commercial grade stock such as fruit trees, bushes and vines that can be grown in pots. They have a limited root stock so they only grow to a decent reaching height and are designed to crop heavily. Hope this helps you. I have some of these trees that I planted this spring and mu apple trees both have an abundance of blossom already!

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• miniminx

  4 June 2009, 9:58AM

  miniminx

  fab website, thanks for the link:)

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• Geraldine

  8 June 2009, 10:07AM

  Geraldine

  We have grown beetroot and carrots in large tubs and they are doing really well, we had baby carrots, courgette broad beans and peas on Saturday night all of which we have grown ourselves...lovely. As for the slugs we have chickens and even they won't eat them!

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• Linda

  13 June 2009, 3:10PM

  Linda

  I live in Switzerland and like the lady who lives in Provence, France, I find beer is excellent for decreasing the slug and snail population! Just leave a couple of saucers of beer by your plot in the evening (make sure the lip is at ground level) and then dispose of the contents the next morning. Your saucers should be full of drunken slugs!! It works for us! Good luck.

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• Taryn

  16 June 2009, 10:56AM

  Taryn

  If you've not got a dog try oatmeal sprinkled around your plants. The slugs are supposed to eat it and then pop (sorry).I tried it last year but my dog got to it first and dug out all my young seedlings eating all the oatmeal !!!!

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• issie1414

  19 June 2009, 8:50AM

  issie1414

  I only have a courtyard and balcony over the years have grown 5 different types of Tomato's/Courgette/Aubergine/2 variety of Peppers/ Red Mini Peppers/3 different variety of Chilli's/Cucumbers/ Butternut Squash/Salad/Potatoes/Carrot's/Salad Onions. ALL IN POTS and they have kept us going through summer and into winter. Strawberries in hanging baskets and hanging troughs. Herbs I grow everything, I love the smell of fresh herbs and have them near all the French doors, I then freeze then or making them into Oils and give them to people for presents. So you can do lots even if you don't have a garden.

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• lulu@olivemagazine

  30 June 2009, 1:26PM

  lulu@olivemagazine

  Harvested my first courgettes at the weekend and my strawberries are sadly now finished. I seem to be growing what looks like far too many squash. Slug patrol is still ongoing, my pea were decimated!

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