Flat Roof in Dorset. Would like to Grow Something

Hi there, i live in Bournemouth. My flat leads out to a south east facing flat roof which gets sunlight all day, i would like to grow something, but i have no idea what, and i am a novice when it comes to this kind of gardening.
My general plan was, to get a few cheap £5 80x30cm plastic troughs to start with, fill 'em with compost, and go from there. Would this be adequate?

I am a student working with very little money so the cheapest solutions would be best for me.

Last, what do you reccomend i could grow? Are there things i can plant within the next week which will be finishing before late autumn? I am interested in herbs, peppers, perhaps tomatoes.. i would love to grow "inca berry", if that would be possible.

Well, any information and help would be very much appreciated, thanks!

 

Hello and welcome to the forum.

How much time and attention will you be able/willing to dedicated to your plants? This matters because some will need daily attention throughout summer, and summer wont care if you forget about them for a few weeks.

You said you like herbs, that's good because that would always be my first suggestion. Rosemary and Thyme will both do well in the situation you describe. Once they're settled in they'll survive weeks without even being watered. Sage is another good one. Slightly more thirsty than some herbs but still very resilient. Oregano and Marjoram are winners too if you can bring them in for winter.

There's loads of other plants that will be happy enough. I'm sure others will suggest stuff soon enough.

 

Inca berry, (Physalis) would grow very well in a sunny position, but likely to need support.
I'd tend to grow just one or two plants in 8in pots, they would need feeding through the summer.
Plants are available in some nurseries now.