Container Veggies thread

[Leeder]

I stumbled across this site today and this thread made me want to register immediately.

I too am limited on space (on several waiting lists for an allotment), so will be growing all my veggies in various pots, troughs and containers outside in my small courtyard type garden (no room for a greenhouse, although I do have a 4 tier type mini greenhouse thingy for hardening off etc).

So far I intend to grow tomatoes, strawberries, runner beans, french beans, sweet peppers, courgettes and I am toying with the idea of carrots at the bottom of the large containers that I will be growing my beans in (unless anyone sees a problem arising with that set-up or would highly recommend a different crop for this space, I am open to all suggestions).

So I will definately be returning to this thread to share my experiences and hopefully read more of yours/seek advice etc.


As there is no time like the present:

I have planted out my tomatoes today, 3 'beefsteak' and 3 'gardeners delight' in 25cm pots. I was intending to grow my tomatoes from seed, but ended up impulse buying these at B&Q on Thursday, only to see Monty on GW on Friday night say that we shouldn't be thinking about putting tomatoes outside for at least another month.

I am in Plymouth, deep down in the South West though, so I may be lucky - if not I guess I will have to consider it my first gardening lesson of the year and chalk it up to experience.

I filled my pots with 1/2 compost 1/2 top soil mix and used water retaining crystals for the first time ever (tip to anyone else thinking of using these for the first time - make sure you wet the crystals before adding them to the pot because they expand like you would not believe!).


Now to hopefully seek some advice, Nefertari/lyndap/anyone else - I have also ordered some 'black forest' courgette seeds from T&M today (used these as one of my 2 free packet of seeds from the recent catalogue offer) and wondered what size pot/containers you were planning to use?


Sorry about the long winded post, being a self diagnosed S.A.D sufferer I always get excited at Spring time. Hope to read some of your experiences soon.

Lee

[Lesley Jay]

Hi Lee! Welcome to the madhouse!!

[goddess]

i grew tomatos in grow bag with the black florist bucket put on them(cut the buttom of bucket of and then put it on grow bag,cut the plastic underneath it and plant tomato in bucket)i also have polystyrine boxes filled with rocket,mizuna and cress and they have all been growing right through winter.g

[vegman]

Growing veg in containers is Ok but you need to follow a strict liquid feeding regieme or the results may be poor. I mentioned on an earlier post that I use Maxicrop products, seaweed extract if you are organic or plus complete garden feed if not concerned. Compost is usually exhausted after 5 or 6 weeks of growing.

Call me tight but growing veg in containers means you may be paying £1.30 for a packet of seeds and only growing a very few plants from the packet. If you dare, ask veg growers for their 'spares' everyone has some seeds left over after sowing and most buy fresh every year so they would only throw them away.

[snohare]

Well Dutch you did say that you wanted us to keep the suggestions coming no matter how crazy so here's one that may make folks gasp: Rosebay Willowherb is originally a kitchen garden escape, and all parts except the stalk are edible; leaves, root (ground as flour) and flowers. So, if you are willing to risk scattering a million of the offspring around...you can have a very nice, wildlife-friendly, tall ornamental flower to go alongside your sunflowers. But don't say I didn't warn you about the offspring !
Alternatively you could just try amaranth, which will give you a pretty heavy crop of especially nutritious seeds to put in your porridge, and won't take over the world.
Hi Leeder, thanks for the info, I know just what you mean about the springtime spring at long last it is just beginning to raise its head for me up here in Aberdeen...

[FoxHillGardener]

oooh fab, all about container growing. I'm at the end of a 2 year waiting list for an allotment and don't have that much space in the garden, so do loads in pots.

Like someone else said earlier, tomato plants in hanging baskets round the front door worked really well last year. I also put some climbing french beans in hanging baskets - they climbed a bit up the chains and then hung down. Didn't get the yield you'd get in the garden, obviously, but they looked nice and were right there to pick fresh

I also do a load of tomatoes in big pots (from Wilkinsons too, as it happens!) underplanted with basil. Also did ok with aubergines and chillis last year. They were on my front steps which face pretty much south and the stone warms up during the day then keeps them warm at night so got a pretty decent harvest.

I'm meant to be moving soon so am holding back from planting too many things at the moment and it's driving me nuts! It's spring! i should be overwhelmed with seedlings by now but am only allowed chillis, aubergines and toms so far. I'm trying to reason that anything else will catch up planted a bit later

[Cutecumber]

I do a lot in containers, too. Everything from potatoes to broccoli. There's not much spare room in the garden and it's north facing, so a lot of pots end up on trolleys on the grass just to get some sun!

There are no complaints about the appearance as long as the vegetables keep appearing.

The big successes for me are dwarf runner beans (hestia), cauliflowers (Idol and Candid Charm) and cca salad leaves.

I am still disappointed with tomatoes, interestingly. I've tried lots of varieties over seven years but am not satisfied. Plenty of produce, but just not the taste I am looking for. Fingers' crossed for this year.

[Flummery]

What varieties of toms are you growing this year Cutecumber?

Welcome to the Grapevine by the way. I only joined a few weeks ago but it has become important to me. You'll soon see why!

[Cutecumber]

Thanks for the welcome. It all looks really interesting so far - I hope I can learn a little and teach a little.

This year, I'll be mostly growing ... wait for it ...

pink brandywine
big boy
tumbler
ferline
sungold
green sausage

I have grown all these before and will pass them on to some lazy people at work who don't like the effort of starting theirs off!! Personally, that's almost the best bit (apart from the eating!). I might keep one plant of each for myself.

and then new for this season, some experiments ...

garden peach
german red strawberry
berry
san marzano
rosada
micro tom (for the office windowsill!)

So, quite a few varieties but only one or two of each.

I use a mix of garden compost and New Horizon grow bag, comfrey liquid or pellets for feeding. Pots are about a foot deep and 10 inches diameter. Mulched with compsted straw. They start in the cool greenhouse and end up outside, where they regularly fall over ...

I tend to be paranoid and over-water, I think, so that is probably why the flavour is not as exciting as it might be!

[andrewo]

I have no choice but to container grow, and you can cram alot into a small space and get some great results. I too have used florist pots in the past but have now moved onto bins and big pots, and a washtub, I companion plant and the results have been successful. Of course, if you use containers, you should go for crops that do well in them, edible flowes, lettuces, spring onions and leaks, carrots and climbing beans. Strawberries do really well in a hanging basket, as do tomatoes.

As for watering, well you can run around with a can all day or connect a drip system up to your water butt, saves time and all the pots get a good feed - I use comfrey and blood, fish and bone.

[lyndap]

Hi Lee.As this is a 'new' courgette, its not one I've grown before.Normal courgette plants are hungry,rampant plants so I am going to try a planter roughly 15inch at top which tappers down to 12inch, and is nearly18inch high.It will get compost with chicken poo in the bottom,then filled with multicompost,and will be fed with tom feed throughout the season.Hope it works!

[nightingale]

I discovered this site today & registered as I am intending to grow various types of veggies in pots in my garden for the first time.

Thanks for the advice on what sorts of veggies to grow & I shall look out in Morrisons for the flower pots -this is probably a stupid question but I fancy some larger more colourful pots to grow a mixture of veggies in as well - is there any reason why I cannot use a tub trug with drainage holes cut in the bottom?

Thanks

[Flummery]

I think you can use just about anything Nightingale, so long as it's deep enough to contain the compost and has drainage. People become very imaginative when the plants are all raring to go and they have run out of 'official' containers! Buckets, heavy duty poly sacks, all sorts of things are pressed into service. Part of your pleasure will be in the eating but undoubtedly part is in the growing and looking. Choose something you like the look of - double the pleasure!

Welcome to the grapevine. There are some very experienced and generous gardeners here. You'll get loads of info - and instant answers when you need them

Flum

[pigletwillie]

Welcome to the vine nightingale, dont ever be afraid of posting what may appear to be a stupid question, you will be pleasantly suprised with the responses that come in.

Enjoy the vine.

[SueA]

Hi Nightingale & welcome. I think that's a great idea, you can get tub trugs in all different colours now & they're fairly cheap. They would be great for growing potatoes in & lots of other veggies too. Good luck with your growing.