oooh I'd love some okra too!!
Checked hydroponics...sounds complicated...i really want fresh tomotoes though...
so those moneymakers would not suit for inside...hanging baskets sound good and hopefully easier? (yep that's important as I am soooo far from green fingered!)
so which variety can i plant just outside my kitchen door? it's a raised bed/patch. and doesn't get a lot of sun...i do have space for a hanging basket outside my front door...

Shirley, this is very interesting, you don't grow them with soil?  How is that done? (keep it simple for me  )

Helen, hydroponics is the growing of plants (with or without grow lights) where you add liquid nutrients (usually found in soil) to the plants at a measured rate.

I grow my toms/cucumbers/peppers etc in perlite (which is a white medium that supports the plants roots)  I water them with nutrient solution as I would water with plain water.

The idea behind it is that as all the nutrients are readily available to the plant, it doesnt have to grow a big root system and can put its energy into growing upwards and developing its fruit.  The plants do seem to grow faster and I was eating tomatoes a good few weeks before my dad who grows his in soil.

I dont use a lighting system in my greenhouse as sunlight is available, however it is easy to set up a grow room in a basement/cellar and give the plant all it needs to grow happily and healthily.  I'll try popping a pic of my lettuce on here somewhere or my blog.  Its only a little system but there is no way I could grow lettuce outdoors at this time of year.  I get enough lettuce to keep my family supplied over winter.

I've just bought another aerogarden system to grow some herbs in as I love cooking with herbs and they cost a fortune in the supermarket.

Sorry I'm a gadget freak, I could go on for hours!

Hi Shirley,

Welcome 

Nikki

Afrokelt I replied to you but its gone, so either I pm'd you or I pm'd someone else lol!

I grow tomatoes every year, I already have my seeds for this year, I'm a seedaholic.  I grow all sorts in grow bags, this year I'm adding the hanging basket variety, want to see if I can grow them on the corner of my south facing house, the only problem could be if it gets extra windy, the toms could end up next door!

Go for it, its very rewarding growing food.

Karen

that pm went AWOL!!
Shirl you make the hydroponic sound so easy...but even the word is scary...
i'll be hunting for the seeds this week....also grow bags...
It does get a bit windy here...especially this time of year but i'll have to chance that i guess...the hanging basket will actually be in front  which is sun facing .

Well I dont know what happened then because I typed it out and it just went!  Thats the trouble with trying to do five things at once!

Just remember to buy the hanging basket variety!  I didnt even bother putting in nice flowers to disguise it... its a tomato, who cares what it looks like!  My mother was tutting at me until she saw it bulging with sweet little toms.  I let it grow on its own so it wasnt fighting for root space and it seemed to work.

I'll phone you one day in the week anyway, just in case this pm gets lost lol!

was talking to DP and he has agreed to do me a little green house IF I will use it Happy days...
Lookign forward to your call...will also be back on skype this week...at least that's the plan:-)