Growing lots of veg in a city yard! Ideas and hints please.

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Can it be done?

I am not remotely green fingered, but I love veg and want to grow lots of it. I want maximum produce for minimum effort.

Please give me easy suggestions. I look at all the seeds available and get totally overwhelmed.

I have some big tubs. I have shady areas, sherltered areas and warm areas. I'm guessing tomatoes, cucumbers, erm, herbs, then I'm lost.

Would you recommend gro bags?

Please help. I really am clueless.

Which city? Is your yard south facing? Have you got any walls you can grow up?

We grow runner beans and climbing french beans up the house wall- they grow beautifully- think they like the sunshine on the stone. Courgettes seem to grow anywhere too, mint will grow in shade.

Strawberries are easy too, as long as you stick straw on the soil. Advice to people with small patches / gardens is usually to grow what's expensive. Soft fruit, peppers etc.

North facing, but quite big, so can move stuff around for plants that need to be south facing if that makes sense.

Runner beans of course! And everyone seems to get overun with courgettes so hopefully they are easy. Can I grow them in a big tub?

Does anyone know anything about growing potatoes in a barrel? Or have I dreamt that? Could I do new potatoes like that?

Oh and thank you for you speedy replies!

Mmmmm peppers!

Carrots grow better in pots than gardens because they don't get carrot fly. Lettuce, rocket etc also very easy- just sow a few every week or so in a grow bag. One grow bag keeps us in salad all summer. If you have a warm enough place for tomatoes you can also grow peppers. The best thing we grow is those little Spanish padrons that you do whole in olive oil.

Thank you all for your help. in months to come I hope to resurrect this thread with photos if my produce.

Yes, you can grow courgettes and potatoes in tubs. Try trailing/climbing squashes too, you can train them up walls which can be fun. I've never managed a successful pepper yet so I've given up on those.

Herbs are also good in small spaces. Spring onions are also a good crop to squeeze inbetween other things growing.

Potatoes - easy to grow in bags, dustbins etc. I grow Charlotte and desiree and they're great.

Carrots - grow an quick maturing variety such as early nantes/mignon/parmex/ chantenay. They're sometimes described as 'finger carrots'. They like free draining soil so add some grit or horticultural sand to the soil mix.

Radishes - grow fabulously in pots in the summer.

Spring onions. - dead easy

Some cultivars of beans and peas can be grow in containers if you stick something in the container for them to climb in the case of beans.

The thing to look for on packets are the words 'suitable for containers' or 'close spacing'.

Thompson and Morgan have a range called 'Urban Garden Collection'. These cultivars are designed for growing in small spaces. www.thompson-morgan.com/brands-kew-urban-gardens

Other seed companies have similar ranges.

I have a very small north-facing back yard, every year we grow climbing French beans - this year I tried runner beans as well, the runners were prolific but the French beans less good - I planted them out too early and they suffered in the colder weather before the summer kicked in.

Tomatoes - I grow Sungold cherry tomatoes in big pots, they will do brilliantly in a sunny spot (moved mine to the small strip of south facing front yard, as my plants have had tomato blight when in North facing spot - south facing gave a brilliant crop last summer)
Sweetcorn - tried this last summer but didn't have enough plants for good wind pollination, if you have a sunny spot and room for quite a few plants in a block it might be worth a try
Peppers - haven't had much luck with these for the last few years, but might try chilli peppers this year
Onions - I tried growing red onions in a large tub, from sets, last year but they were very small, still enjoyable to give them a try though
Courgettes can take up a lot of space, I haven't grown them for a few years as they trail all over the yard & the DSs would wreck them, but they are fun to grow.
We also have soft fruit in pots - blueberries & summer raspberries - not a big crop but the DSs like picking them. I really like Alpine strawberries so always have a few little plants in a pot.