Boxes and Pots on the roof and deck

What grows well in smallish boxes?

Ideas for Boxes and Pots

Wooden Barrels - on the front deck. Lots of room to grow a small tree or bush. Rember to think about whether you need to move ballast to compensate for a big barrel of soil! And drill some holes in the bottom for drainage!

The much maligned 'Roses and Castles' buckets and water cans are a perennial favourite, and it's good to put them to a practical use!

Growing upwards

Remember that you have the fore and aft bulkheads (that's front and back cabin walls to you and me) - you can hang baskets off them, or attach a trellis to allow climbing plants and others, like tomatoes to grow up them.

Keeping your plantpots moist while you're away

Going away for a few days? Don't worry about your plants getting thirsty - all you need is a small water bottle. Simply fill the bottle with water, replace the cap and make tiny holes in the cap and the sides of the bottle. Then place the bottle, cap up, in the dirt to water the plants while you're away

Sprouting Seeds

Sprouting seeds is an incredibly easy way to get serious amounts of vitamins, even in winter, and are very tasty. They don't take up much space, and can be grown indoors.

You can get packs of ready mixed seeds at health food stores, but these are often overpackaged and overpriced. Many independent health food stores sell seeds and legumes loose and very cheaply.

Alfalfa, chickpeas, mung beans and green lentils are particularly easy to grow. All you need is a jam jar with a lid (just put on top to keep the dust out, don't screw it down!). Soak overnight, then pour off the excess water. Rinse twice daily and eat when the seeds are sprouting - the taste really is amazing, and you can cook them in stir fries and the like

Sometimes it gets too cold in winter and the sprouts will go mouldy before they get a chance to grow. Short of heating more you'll just have to wait until spring :-(

Links

• Basic patio garden growing from the BBC