What to grow on a windy balcony
Choose shelter and compact crops before adding more pots.
Read the growing note →The garden notebook · 13 growing guides
A little help for
whatever you’re growing.
Choose a useful next step: a better pot, a small sowing or a simpler watering routine. No need to do everything at once.
Container sizes in litres
Working volumes, depths and the limits of sizing by litres.
Read the growing note →A simple windowsill seed-starting setup
One small tray, suitable light and a plan for the mature plants.
Read the growing note →Choosing peat-free compost for vegetable containers
What to look for in container compost in Ireland and the UK: the right growing medium, feeding information and watering behaviour—not an untested brand ranking.
Read the growing note →Growing potatoes in bags: a small-space first crop
Grow early potatoes in a draining container or sack, with practical planting, earthing-up, watering and harvest advice for Ireland and the UK.
Read the growing note →Winter windowsill herbs: what is realistic in Ireland?
Choose herbs for a bright winter windowsill, distinguish hardy plants from tender basil, and avoid overwatering during short Irish and UK days.
Read the growing note →Slug control for pots: protect seedlings without the myths
Evidence-led slug and snail management for container vegetables: checks, sensible prevention, barrier limitations and targeted biological controls.
Read the growing note →Grow bags or pots: which suits a small growing space?
Compare compost growing bags, fabric sacks and rigid pots for vegetables, including depth, watering, supports, reuse and balcony weight.
Read the growing note →A small-space sowing calendar for Ireland: month by month
A cautious Irish sowing framework for a few containers, separating protected sowing, direct sowing and frost-sensitive planting—not fixed nationwide dates.
Read the growing note →Salad leaves through the seasons: a realistic container plan
Use small successive sowings and winter-suitable varieties for a longer salad season in Irish and UK containers, without promising constant winter growth.
Read the growing note →Watering balcony vegetables: cans, reservoirs or drip lines?
Choose a practical watering approach for balcony containers, test holiday systems safely and avoid overwatering, leaks and unsupported irrigation claims.
Read the growing note →Can you grow tomatoes indoors in Ireland?
Separate a seed-starting windowsill from a full-season tomato-growing space, with practical advice on light, variety, support, water and pollination.
Read the growing note →Strawberries in containers: a small, sunny patch
Plant and maintain container strawberries in Ireland and the UK: crown depth, spacing, watering, flowering and healthy replacement plants.
Read the growing note →