Don't know if this is the right place to look, but I live downtown (Fort Street) in a condo, have a small east-facing balcony and bought a few packets of seeds for small tomatoes and spinach from Salt Spring Seeds to grow my own veggies in containers. I do not yet have containers, soil, etc., as I have no idea how to proceed. Is there someone knowledgeable who can help me or teach me how to grow these vegetables? Payment could be either in produce, in cash, or both - whatever you deem fair. I can be reached at 250-595-2555. I am retired and in and out throughout the day. Thanks! Judy

Hi Judy,

We used to live in a condo townhouse and have had successful experiences with growing tomatoes and herbs in containers. I think it's probably too late to start tomatoes from seeds at this point. We started our tomato seeds in April last year and it was already too late. We didn't get much yield because the plants flowered too late. If you want to try anyway, you can get any seed starter kit from a nursery (peat puck and mini greenhouse, we use the Jiffy brand) and start your seeds. To ensure you get some tomatoes, you might want to buy some starter plants. If you're interested in heirloom varieties, we bought some from the Brickworks farmers market last year.

After you have your seedlings, all you need is a large container, top soil and a sunny location.

Good luck.
Tanny