What to put in the blowaway?

[w33blegurl]

Morning all!

I am just taking down the tomato plants that were in a quadgrow thingy in the blowaway. Rather than dismantling it all, I was just wondering if there was anything I could grow over winter in the tomato pots in there. I have the quadgrow with the big salad tray in the middle so have already decided to keep a few salady bits going over winter...just wondered if carrots might be worth a go in the deep post...something else/more interesting??
Ta!

[BUFFS]

be careful for the blowaway in winter as I had one that was anchored down with 2 proper kerbstones, the massive ones you see them using on the sides of main roads, over 60-70lbs each. I had 6 trays of seedlings in mine when I went to bed, the next morning I went to water them and all that was there was the trays, the blowaway was nowhere to be seen, in a back garden 40mtrs from the road, weighed down, and still we never saw it again, it must have cleared the 45-50ft trees that were downwind of its location. my present greenhouse is concreted down and still we lose 3-4 panes of glass each winter but at least the g/house is still there when we get up each morning ...

[w33blegurl]

Ha ha, been there!! It is not only anchored with slabs (and the heavy when full quadgrow) but also tied to the fence. That being said, i tend to bring all the seedlings inside now if its looking really windy!!

[Penellype]

Brassica salad leaves (mizuna, namenia etc) love quadgrow type planters, as do spinach and pak choi. I'm trying carrots in one of the slightly bigger quadgrow root veg planters this year.

Remember that if it gets really cold the water in the reservoir will freeze, and if it does so it will expand and may crack the tray. I put a squashy tennis ball in mine, just to be safe.

[Cadalot]

I had not heard of the quadgrow until I read this thread, having now investigated I can't believe the price of the things, flower buckets with holes about an inch up from the bottom does exactly the same thing it holds water in the bottom. I don't usually add a water membrane wick but I could.

On my allotment I just use a large grave tray and stand the pots in that and water from the bottom once a week and I don't worry about the weed membrane the roots will find the water.

[Bren In Pots]

Cad usually I grow a couple of spare toms in buckets so for holiday watering I use the same idea, strips of capillary matting, a tray then plant pots with holes punched about an inch up from the base.

[w33blegurl]

I could have made my own as per the above examples but a) I cannot be *rsed and b) my DIY skills are dreadful!

Good point re the water freezing in winter, had not considered that, might rethink the plan!

[burnie]

Is that posh capillary matting Bren, or will any old j cloth type of thing do?

[Bren In Pots]

Burnie just checked my garden journal and I bought it for £4.99 from Aldi in 2010 it must have been a good size roll theres still plenty left. I think a j-cloth would work just the same though.

[Penellype]

Any sort of cloth would probably work, although the capillary matting is probably made of something that has good wicking properties, which ordinary cloth may not have.

With regard to the quadgrows being expensive, yes, they are. However as my DIY skills make Mr Bean look good (the last time I used a drill I drilled through the main electric cable to the house...) I prefer to buy that sort of stuff ready made!