Help get me started with my patio veg garden (in pots)

[funstuie]

Hello All,

It looks like we will be renting our current place for a little bit longer so I want to take advantage of the garden and plant some veg. There is nowhere in the garden to plant (landlord tried unsuccessfully to create a japanese garden but ended up creating a concrete dank hole) so I am going to be planting in pots.

I tried searching but there is so many threads and advice on what to plant and where I just got lost. So I am looking for some simple advice on what to plant starting this weekend.

On Saturday morning I am going to head to Wyevales/b&q and pick up compost/growbags and seeds.

I have not had much luck growing herbs (even the mint I got died) but these where the "living" herbs sainsbury's sell and I have since read that these generally don't do well. I want to grow any veg I can, we are not fussy and everything will be used.

So what should I be buying?


Any help and advice is greatly appreciated thanks.

[abby]

Hi I too am a newbie and am doing some veg in pots I have got some tumbling toms that I bring in at night at the moment and am having a go with little round carrots called Parmex.I have some rocket and salad leaves in another and dwarf french beans in a grow bag with a wigwam of canes to grow up. Mange tout and a courgette plant for good measure.Oh and a patio pepper called Mohawk and some Welsh onions that are great to keep cutting...Hope this helps and have a great time at the Garden centre...

[teakdesk]

I want to grow any veg I can, we are not fussy and everything will be used.

So what should I be buying?

Best advice I have read on here is to plant the veg you like to eat.

For me that is tomatoes (cherry types, easy in pots or grow bags outside).
Runner beans (easy in pots)
Cut and come again lettuce in plastic troughs
Gerkins (easy in pots)
Salad potatoes (mine are in BandQ buckets)
Radish in plastic troughs
Carrots in pots

then later in the summer you'll be able to eat a whole salad meal that you grew yourself !!!


EDIT: runner beans really need a really big pot !!!!


And as Abby says, one courgette plant would give loads of fruit (try yellow zuccini for colour on the plate).
And herbs are good but some can be difficult to grow from seed.

Try some nasturtiums for colour in the garden to attract pollinating insects and then eat the flowers with your salad.

[janeyo]

Hi I have lots of things in pots of various sizes... strawberries, lettuce, lots of different salad leaves, herbs, rocket, a lemon bush / tree?, carrots, potatoes... err think that's it. If I think of anymore I will add on. I also have toms and peppers and chillis for later when they can go outside.

[funstuie]

Thanks for the advice folks.

Quick question, is there any reason not to use the special offer on decking wood in B&Q to make something like this:

[gojiberry]

Decking is ideal to make your raised bed funstuie, Use 2" by "2 for the corners cut your sides and ends to size and screw to the 2X2. If you want a base then you can use your decking cut to fit inside and screwed through the walls. Leave a half inch gap between the floor boards and line the bottom with a bit of plastic with drainage holes in it.
When thinking about what you are going to grow have a look through some of the seed suppliers catalogues as there are loads of veg bred specially for patios and containers. I know there is a dwarf pea and a runner bean.

Ian

[Mi Jardín]

I rent too, although I have dug a big veggie bed
However, it soon filled up, and I have the following in pots:

Runner beans
Borlotto Beans
Peas
Carrots
Leeks
Cabbage
Cauliflower
PSB
Onions
Garlic
Gooseberry
Lettuce
Pack Choi
Potatoes

They are all different size pots, things like the brassicas are one to a pot, then the pak choi is about a dozen to a pot. Everything is doing really well, although water is a pain in the rear end!
Tomatoes and cucumbers are going in grow bag a bit later on.

Theres soooooooo much to choose from! Have fun!

[funstuie]

What have you got the carrots in? I thought carrots need really deep soil to grow in?

[funstuie]

Just having a mooch round the interweb this morning and I found this kit:

Buy Complete Patio Veg Kit online from Suttons

Is that a good deal?

[janeyo]

I have about a 2 foot-ish pot for long carrots, but grow round ones in shorter pots.

[Mchanen]

Hi, I too rent so can't use the garden to plant anything, i currently have two vegs bags that i got from garden centre, one containing Potatoes (Rubinta) and the other containing onions (Stuttgart) and i also have a strawberry bag (with some of the onions in it) i would also like to grow some courgettes (Wilkinsons do a bucket courgette set which has everything you need in it so i'm going to get that next)

But like others said grow whatever you eat- maybe you could list what you would like to grow and then others can give you tips on how to grow them if you're not sure?

Oh and the complete patio veg kit seems quite reasonable to me- i paid £15 just for the 2 veg bags and strawberry bag so i think £19.95 for the planters and veg is really good- wish i'd seen it before lol )

[murphy99]

I was in Wilkinsons yesterday and they had some of those kits half price.

I bought a beetroot one for £3.50 and a bean one for £6.00. I didn't see the one you are after but thats not to say it wasn't there !

cheers
helen

[Mchanen]

Oooh thanks for that Helen, i will be going to have a look now!

[funstuie]

thanks for the advice folks. Saturday is going to be busy.

First thing I am off to the local allotments to speak to the chairman to find out whatever happened to my application, the a walk down to Wilkinsons, £1 shop, get some lunch and then we are off to the garden centre. Hopefully we will have enough of the afternoon left to get started on planting things.

[Mchanen]

You'll have to let us know what you do buy then, Have fun!