container garden

[jennybain]

Hi - I am looking for ideas of veg/salad/fruit to plant in containers. I don't have a garden, only a courtyard area and so I am pretty limited. I am already growing herbs and blueberries but wondered if there is anything else that is worth growing in pots??

Thanks for any advice - I am new to this forum!

[Alison]

You can grow pretty much anything at least to some extent it pots, I had good crops off tomatoes, courgettes and peppers last year and have had French beans in large pots in the past not to mention salad leaves etc. Just make sure the pot is big enough, you feed loads and water lots too. If you do a few searches then you'll find a fair bit of advice and there's a number of grapes on here who tend to use pots for most of their stuff so they should be able to give you some sound advice.

[jennybain]

Thanks Alison for the advice. When you say large pot sixe, how large are we talking for a decent size? 1-2ft diameter or would less do?

[Two_Sheds]

I had a balcony in Brighton, but got loads of tomatoes in hanging baskets & pots (big plastic ones from PoundShop). Also lettuce, French beans, parsley, chives. Any container will need lots of watering.

[serenity]

Hi jennybain,
I am going to plant some potatoes in tubs this year. If you want to give them a try then you will need a container around 12 " diameter and the same deep or larger if you can. I think 2 or 3 seed potatoes would be about right per tub. I am going to plant swift (first early) which supposedly does very well in tubs and charlotte (2nd early).

I have very recently planted some parmex carrots in containers in the greenhouse. They are a round variety so suitable for container growing. Might be a little early for them but I am itching to get going

I have plans to grow salad rocket in window boxes mixed with violas. I have seen this done and looks very pretty. The viola flowers are also edible and look beautiful mixed in a salad.

I am also going to grow courgettes, tomatoes, mixed salad leaves, spring onions, dwarf french beans and may try some borlotti too. Not sure if they will be sucessful as have never tried them before but have grown runner beans in large pots growing up a wigwam and had a reasonable crop from them.

best wishes
serenity

[jennybain]

thanks serenity. I wondered about potatoes but thought I would need a HUGE container to make it worthwhile. Might be tempted now though. Does anyone know if certain varieties are better for container growing than others?
Also, what kind of crop could you expect from a 12" x 12" container?

[serenity]

Don't know about crop size as this will be my first year ever growing spuds, others might be of more help there . I have read quite a bit about varieties though and as far as I am aware swift is a good one and someone mentioned rocket. I think on the whole you are better with an early variety, Main crop I'm told don't do as well. Some people grow charlotte in buckets as a second crop for christmas new potatoes.

I did start off a thread about potatoes in containers, search under potato buckets. There were some great suggestions in that for suitable containers ranging from old tyres, ikea bags and B&Q buckets.

[jennybain]

Hi - I have just read the thread about potatoes in buckets and think I will definitely give it a go.
I don't know anything about growing veg (yet) so do potatoes just require normal all-purpose compost and a lot of feeding? I read somewhere that you start them off shallowly covered in their containers and as they grow, keep adding more and more compost.....is this right?? Whay would you do this rahter then just pant them and cover to the top?

[serenity]

have a read through this link

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...hicken+pellets

lots of great advice re spuds in tubs

[Alice]

Hello Jennybain, I grow quite a lot in containers. If you want to try potatoes they will do fine in a bucket (ordinary bucket size). B & Q sell builders buckets for 99p - much cheaper than big pots. Just put some holes in the bottom for drainage. I mix manure (B&Q sell it in bags) with the compost and put a good 4" in the bottom of the bucket . Now put in 3 chitted poatoes (ones that have sprouted. Put them on the windowsill til they do) then half fill, or fill, the bucket with compost. There's a debate about whether it makes any difference whether you fill or half fill. I half fill and once I see the poatatoes coming up, just keep topping up the bucket with compost til its full. But do leave a space at the top for watering.
Charlotte are a lovely potatoe and do well in buckets and are ready after about 13 weeks. Nicola and Nadine did well too. I got about 4lbs of potatoes from each bucket. I just used potatoes from the supermarket. Just look for a Scottish grower (it's marked on the bags) as Scottish potatoes are disease free. That's where everybody gets their seed potatoes from.
Tomatoes and cucumber will do fine in 12" pots if you water them.
I grew Parmex carrots in a crate and they were fine (small round carrots) and then I grew Early Nantes in deep pots (about the size a rose would come in) and they were excellent. The pots were full to bursting.
Lettuce and spring onions will grow in quite shallow containers. Don't want to make this post too long Jennybain so just come back with any other questions. There's plenty of people here to help you. Good luck with the project and keep us posted.

[JennieAtkinson]

Hi Jenny
Have a look at the thread "GYO wants your advice for salad" as a number of us have posted information about growing salad in window boxes. I do quite successfully. Also potatoes in pots - salad, such as charlotte were the best. And this year I am growing gooseberries and blueberries in pots, so that I can move tghem around a bit out of the wind.
Good luck.

[jennybain]

Hi Alice - great, if you can use supermarket Scottish potatoes then so much the better. I have some Charlottes at the moment! Once I have them planted, what woulkd you recommend for feeding? Tomato feed or similar??

[Alice]

Hello jennybain, I feed mine by mixing manure with the compost at planting (as I said) and watering with phostrogen added to the water. I'm no expert on that, just what I do. Some of the guys are experts on the biochemistry of feedind so maybe they will have different advice on feeding. My potatoes were great so I'm going to stick with the tried and tested regime. Everybody just has to do what works for them. Good luck with yours.

[JennieAtkinson]

Jenny - last year I grew my Charlottes in grow bags (cheap ones from Somerfield 99p) which I folded over to make two open bags from each grow bag. I popped two tatties in each, watered once/twice a week, and had a reasonable crop. I didn't do any extra feeding. And have since used the left over compost to grow salad into the winter months.

PS (It was an idea mentioned on this Forum - not my own).

[jennybain]

Hi Jennie - that's a good idea, although I don't think I have a sunny enough windowsill to do salad. My windows either face East or West. Do potatoes need a lot of sun like other veggies or will they be ok in semi-shade?