September on the balcony: five things that will reach winter if you sow them now
For leaves that cope with the cold, the first fortnight of the month is the window.
The first two weeks of September are the last sensible window for winter leaves on a balcony. Rocket, parsley, spinach and sorrel all grow slowly but steadily in cooler air.
Pot depth matters more than most people expect. Below about fifteen centimetres the roots do not develop and the plant stalls before winter.
In the costings the materials are usually the small line. The real spend is labour and waiting time.
What to sow
In a small room every centimetre gained has a price: the space you win in one place comes out of another.
When reading reviews, skip the ones from the first month and look at the ones written after the second year.
The common mistake
Measuring up before you start is dull, and almost every expensive mistake begins exactly there.
Watering drops off in winter but does not stop. On an enclosed balcony the soil gets no rain at all, so one check a week is enough.
This season’s colour is dark green — but do not paint the whole room
Interior designers suggest one wall and a few wooden details, and nothing more.
PremiumInsulation pays back faster now: the sums have changed
The payback period on glazing and wall insulation has come down by about three years.
Three changes that free up space in a small kitchen — none of them a refit
An extra shelf, a hanging rail and order under the worktop. The gain is surprising.