What to put in each container?

[Wonky]

Hi,

I grew a few things successfully last year without really doing too much research or planning. French beans did well, and we had lots of lettuce and a few carrots. This year however I am planning lots more having got 'the bug'.

I have to grow in pots as we are in a rented house with just a lawn in the back garden and a patio. Our front garden is also paved over. The back patio has early morning sun, front patio has sun all afternoon.

I have the following pots:

Bean patio planter 45cm x 30cm x 30cm. I successfully grew 6 french bean plants (cobra) in this last year.

2 x round salad and herb planting bags 20cm deep and 40 cm width

3 x plastic trough planters 20cm deep and 60 cm length

5 x round plastic pots (approx 6 inches deep and 6 inches across) 2 of these currently have strawberry plants in which were a present

1 plastic round pot (approx 12 inches deep and 10 inches across)

2 x plastic round pots (approx 10 inches deep and 10 inches across)

1 hanging basket

2 x mini unheated greenhouse 4 tier

I am planning on growing:

potatoes - I have 3 potato planting bags on the way from a friend who no longer wants them. Something like this so they will go in these

Red onions - no idea what might be the best thing to put these in, how spaced out etc

Garlic - same as onions - any advice appreciated

Broad Beans (Sutton variey), Peas (early onward variety), French Beans (cobra variey) - will obviously plant french beans in my bean planter again, but don't know the best thing to do with broad beans and peas? Do they need support like the french beans?

Tomatoes - was planning on doing these out of a grow bag and making a support system out of garden cane etc so presume no need of my pots for these

Lettuce / herbs

Corgette - what size of pot would these need?

Beetroot, springs onions, radishes - again not sure how much space these need?

ANY advice would be much appreciated.

Finally, is it ok to just use multi purpose compost for all of this. I did last year which was fine. But then I have read things about mixing in some gravel/grit/sand?

Thanks so much in advance for any advice.

[bramble]

Hi Cobra, well I can't give you advice on all you are thinking of growing but will give it a try. Seeds like spring onion and radish can be sown as thick or as thin as you like and when they are growing you can thin them out by pulling and eating the smallest of them while the rest grow on, so you will have no loss from them.
Lettuce you can do the same with. Don't sow too much at the same time as they will only end up going to seed if you can't keep up with them all maturing together. Lettuce will also tolerate some shade as they tend to wilt in full sunshine.
You are well equipped to grow your potatoes as you have the growing sacks for them. If I were you I would grow salad varieties or first earlies, that way you will have a mature crop before the dreaded blight.
I have grown peas in the ground and in containers and to be honest I don't think its worth growing in containers (only my opinion)
You will be fine growing tomatoes in grow bags but they do need a fairly deep root system. Why not cut your grow bag in half, stand it upright and plant into it that way.
You may be ok with beans in a container but it will depend on the type you are growing, probably one of the dwarf variety.
I suspect you may be too late with the garlic but you have nothing to loose so give it a go and good luck with it all.

[bramble]

Just reading your post again and yes, I would mix in perlite with the multipurpose compost as it will stop it from drying out let some air through.
With onion seeds i start them iff in a seed tray with modules in and sprinkle a small pinch of seeds in each one. They will grow on and then you can plant them into flower pots. You can start your tomato seeds off now and keep them indoors on a sunny window sill until the risk of frost has passed. Sow one seed per module or small pot so as not to risk having to seperate them when they are tiny.
With the garlic, just push each clove into a pot that is fairly deep, as they tend to have deep roots and leave about 6 inches between each clove.

[Two_Sheds]

Garlic...any advice appreciated

Garlic really should've been in by now, it needs a cold spell to grow properly

don't know the best thing to do with broad beans and peas? Do they need support...?

Broad beans might need a cane support if your garden is windy

Peas have twining tendrils, they can't cling to canes: they need something like pea net

Beetroot, springs onions, radishes - again not sure how much space these need?

Think of how big the finished article is, and that is your spacing distance - so, spring onions about 1.5cm apart

[Potstubsdustbins]

Not quite sure if this is going to work but lets see.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Not bad for a first attempt my red onions

Colin

[Potstubsdustbins]

Next new tatties in Morrisons buckets providing wind break for runner beans behind taken 1st week June.

Followed by strawberry in manger

Colin

[Wonky]

Thanks for all the replies so far. Really helpful. Yes I guess it is obvious to think of how big they will grow to and space out accordingly!

Great pics too.

Thanks again.

[Two_Sheds]

I guess it is obvious to think of how big they will grow to and space out accordingly!

doesn't work with everything though, eg broccoli

[Potstubsdustbins]

So true, I get 8 calabrese to a square mtr, but the old PSB goes in my tattie dustbins after harvest 1 per dustbin.

Colin

[selfraising]

You could also try what I do. Take all the shelving out of the greenhouses and put a pot with a tomato in each, which means you could use the growbags for something else or more tomatoes!

[LittleShamrock]

I have grown tomatoes in growbags for a few years and was never impressed by them. Shaking half the contents of the growbag down a bit and folding the excess bag underneath (to make it shorter but thicker, iykwim!) and then putting 2 plants per bag in worked better last year, but this year I'm just gonna skip the growbag and plant in planting bags (from poundland) or cheap buckets.

Your hanging basket would make a a nice home for some trailing tomatoes, strawberries, nasturiums or trailing beans (is there such a thing? I thought I saw such seeds, but perhaps not...)

For some reason I always plants lots of peas and beans in pots and have not really succeeded apart from the odd munch straight from the plant but I intend to do better this year!