Container Veggies thread

[shirlthegirl43]

I grew dwarf beans, carrots, potatoes, broad bean 'the sutton' all in Morrison's flower buckets last year (99p for 8). Everything was great and will be doing more the same this year. I am in the process of conquering parts of my garden to plant veggies in but will probably do most of my spuds in the pots again as they are easy to harvest. Best thing is I can keep the pots outside the back door and it is easy to nip out and water them.

Good luck with your veggies.

[Flummery]

Hello Flummery, I've seen all the stuff about don't feed annuals or you'll only get leaves, and nasturiums like poor soil. My experience says they like rich feeding like all else. The best nasturiums I ever had were growing on the compost heap, and plants in containers with feeding, well outperformed nasturtiums not fed. I feed mine !

I've only ever bunged them in hot dry bits I couldn't get anything else to gow in - they did well there. I was going by my friend's experience. I shall follow yours now and stick a row or two in gaps in the veg plot. I love them with salads and they're so cheerful. Ta for the info.

[Flummery]

Berksmike, I love your idea of themed pots. Salads is obvious I suppose, but Asian, Mediterranean, great idea. I love it here - every day something new.

[Marylou]

Hi - I had success with dwarf runner bean "Hestia" in a large pot (4 plants to a 16-in diameter pot) last year. The flowers are very attractive on the patio - red and white together - and the beans, though not quite so long as ordinary standard runner beans, are quite prolific. I am certainly growing them again this year.

[tinyvine]

Hi
I grew many things last year in pots - the carots and parsnips did well, perpetual spinach and rocket, salad items, toms, cues, dwarf kale were all great. Still waiting for the onions...
Try Borage, nice blue flowers, attracts bees, can eat leaves in salad or put flowers in ice cubes, goes a bit mad tho.
Still think you might need some companion flowers but good luck with it, I'm sure your garden will look like abeautiful haven when you have finished.

[Dutch]

Thanks all for the great advice!

Im particullay interested in the morrisons flower pots idea ( I spotted those last week!)

Would like to know how many plants per pot you do for each veg you grow?

I will also definatly do the flower companion planting! It keeps with my idea of everything edible and should brighten up my dreary back yard?

Keep them coming im loving this !!

[Bren In Pots]

Another one here who's growing in black florists buckets I'm hoping to grow peas, beans, toms, butternut squash, lettuce, and spring onions.

Then I've found a large container around 3ft x 2ft x 2ft deep that I'm thinking of growing parsnips in. Do you think that will be deep enough?

I supervised/helped DH to make a coldframe this afternoon so maybe I could grow cucumbers as well.

Bren

[tinyvine]

Thanks all for the great advice!

Im particullay interested in the morrisons flower pots idea ( I spotted those last week!)

Would like to know how many plants per pot you do for each veg you grow?

I will also definatly do the flower companion planting! It keeps with my idea of everything edible and should brighten up my dreary back yard?

Keep them coming im loving this !!

Not sure about those flower pots, don't know how big they are. I just adhered to the spacings on the backs of the pkts, if you intercrop you get better use of the space tho, so instead of having a pot for parsnips and a pot for rocket, you have 2 pots for parsnips and then grow the rocket in between them...as one is growing up the other is growing down, and you get to eat lovely rocket while you try to wait patiently for the parsnips. (maybe rocket is a bad example but you get my meaning)

I think if you're growing courgettes etc, the pot needs to be 45cm for one plant, but i have no experience in this so maybe other grapes will tell you different, whopps i'm rambling...

[tinyvine]

Another one here who's growing in black florists buckets I'm hoping to grow peas, beans, toms, butternut squash, lettuce, and spring onions.

Then I've found a large container around 3ft x 2ft x 2ft deep that I'm thinking of growing parsnips in. Do you think that will be deep enough?

I supervised/helped DH to make a coldframe this afternoon so maybe I could grow cucumbers as well.

Bren

Hi Bren
I think as long as your pot/container is deeper than the expected length of your root/parsnip should be ok, otherwise if it hits the bottom, it will only grow off at a right angle..which is ok, but difficult to peel

[Bren In Pots]

Tinyvine I've just measured my florists buckets they are 11 across the top around 12 deep tapering to 8 across the base, just planted some carrots in them so hopefully they will be OK

I've got a few larger pots so I'll save those for the Butternut squash.
Just had a look at my parsnip seeds and they're White Gem says they grow to a 'medium size' so they 'should' be ok in the large container other wise I'll be peeling odd shaped parsnips.

[dexterdoglancashire]

Hi Dutch and welcome to the vine! What a good idea for a thread! Even though I am lucky enough to have got myself a lottie, Im always keen on using pots to grow things - so this thread will be invaluable. I also saw a Gardeners World programme a couple of weeks ago, re: growing veg in a basket - I sent off for the seeds, but havent heard anything. I still have other seeds I could use though. Looking forward to hearing how you get on. Best wishes Bernie aka Dexterdog

[Dutch]

Thanks again

Looking forward to chatting with you all in the future !

Posted a few other threads so please have a look at them and leave your comments!

[Marylou]

Hi - I also grew to tomatoes ("tumbler Tom" and "Garten Perle") in the hanging baskets around the front door instead of flowers last year, and included a few herbs with them, i.e. basil and chervil. Got a good heavy crop of small cherry tomatoes for freezing.

[Nefertari]

This year I bought the new T&M courgette, 'black forest', to put in a pot (a bright blue tubtrug, in fact), with stakes for it to climb up - it claims to be 'best grown in containers on the patio'. I'm hoping that by using a climbing courgette in a pot, it will save space in my postage stamp of a garden, and allow me to grow more, more interesting stuff.

Nefertari

[lyndap]

I've just sent off for the 'black forest' courgette to grow in big pot,for the same reason as Nefertari.