Call for ideas

Given your location your soil is predominantly London clay, with possibly a bit of silt as you ar not far from the river. (Welcome to the club). The downside is that clay is sticky when wet and goes rock hard when dry, the upside is it's naturally fertile. When you have prepped your planting area I would spread compost on top as a mulch and plant through that. It will keep moisture in and conversely, help drainage when the worms have incorporates it in.
If you don't think you're going to be there long term then plant into containers, you can take them with you when you next move. Bigger pots and containers need less attention than small ones. Otherwise do a small area first then move on to the next. All gardening is a marathon not a sprint.

 

Thanks, that's really helpful!

Can I just clarify - are you saying to start growing them inside, and then move them outside when they reach 5cm tall?

 

thanks very much!