first time grower help needed

[woolley]

Hi,

I am hoping to start growing some veg in pots and containers and am looking for some advice.

I have no experience of growing veg so i would like to know what size pots or containers i would require (including length and depth). I am looking to grow potato's in bags and carrots,leeks, tomatos, courgette, peppers etc inpots any other suggestion's on veg would be appreciated

Could i please have advice on what i would require to start sowing seeds i have a small propergator to go the window ledge but don't know if i require more or when to start and how many seeds to set to start with.

Thanks

[firstimer1]

Hi and welcome, you will get all the advice you need as someone will be along soon with their wonderful knowledge but all i can say is you will need some compost but thats all i can offer as i'm very new to this too have fun and happy growing in 2009 Belle x

[SarzWix]

Woolley, welcome to the 'Vine
You're asking a lot of questions there

If you go onto the Vegging Out section and search for 'Container Gardening' you will come up with lots of answers.

As for which containers to use, really, all sorts of sizes can be used - shallow ones for salads etc, deep ones for carrots and parsnips, grow bags are useful for salads and strawberries or cut in half through the middle, then set on end, for tomatoes, cucumbers etc. Some of the most useful containers are the black 'flower buckets' which supermarkets and garage forecourts keep their cut flowers in - you can sometimes get them free, or pay about £1 for half a dozen. They need drainage holes putting in, but they are good for potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, parsnips, cucumbers, peppers, peas... They hold about 10l of compost.

You should decide which container your plants will go in, then work out how many will fit according to the "space between plants" information on the packet. Don't worry about the "space between rows" info as you aren't growing in rows. Then sow that number of seeds, plus a few spares. You'll soon get the hang of it

[Herbie]

Hi Woolley
I grow veg in pots and containers. I tend to use the mini veg seeds or patio container seeds. Got some from Garden Centre. Last year I had some sucess with ophelia aubergines in pots.
There is lots of useful advice on the vine, so you are in the right place, I've learnt alot from other grapes who know a thing or two.

[kitchengardner]

Hi,

I am hoping to start growing some veg in pots and containers and am looking for some advice.

I have no experience of growing veg so i would like to know what size pots or containers i would require (including length and depth). I am looking to grow potato's in bags and carrots,leeks, tomatos, courgette, peppers etc inpots any other suggestion's on veg would be appreciated

Could i please have advice on what i would require to start sowing seeds i have a small propergator to go the window ledge but don't know if i require more or when to start and how many seeds to set to start with.

Thanks

As "Sarzwix" said the container garden thread has a lot of good tips and I would also strongly recommend "Kitchen Harvest" by Susan Berry (ISBN 0711218986). As a basic rule you will need deep containers (at least 12") for root crops and at least 8" for others, although some (eg cut & grow salad leaves) need very little soil and can be grown even in guttering! I would recommend getting a heated propagator (£12.99 from Wilkos) and several (as many as you have room for on your window sills) of the unheated variety - make sure they have adjustable vents. If you have space a cold frame and/or a cheap clear plastic 4 tier greenhouse (last year these were selling at Wilkos for £9) are good investments. Some horticultural fleece or bell cloches (or even homemade "bottle cloches") also helps once the seedlings are planted out

Hope this helps

Regards

Kitchen Gardener

[miffy]

Hi,
I grew veg for the first time last year on our patio using different sorts of containers. I found my old wheelbarrow was absolutely fab for growing all sorts of crops when filled with compost and the holes that were rotted in it provided the drainage, we grew cut and come again salad and radishes in there.
As to other crops, we used window boxes for salad leaves, some old compost bags for spuds as they are black inside, got very decent crops for those.
We got some planting bags from Ikea which were very cheap and grew carrots, radish, beans and peas in these and some tomitillos.
The main thing when growing in pots is watering i.e make sure you have enough but also that you have drainage as you don't want the soil to turn into a stinky mud bath.
We sowed most of the seeds in the pots/containers apart from our runner beans which we started off in pots made from newspaper, you then plant the pot with the plant and it rots down in the soil, you can buy a former for making these little pots from the Organic gardening catalogue.
Much of what we did was trail and error, don't worry about it just have a go and see what you can grow. Good luck.

[Nicos]

Hi there- and welcome to the Vine!