Growing your plants in containers

Growing Your Plants in Containers

Container-grown plants are an integral part of my garden. In this lesson, I'll teach you the ins and outs of growing veg in containers.

Growing plants in containers is a great way to get into food growing if you're new to it or have limited space. You can find out more about growing food in containers in my book, How to grow your dinner without leaving the house.

The possibilities of growing edible plants in pots

Growing crops in containers means that you can grow your own food on a paved area or in a rented garden as you can take your pots with you if you move.

As long as you have a sunny spot, you can grow a wide variety of vegetables and edible flowering plants in containers and it's a great way to save space and make the most of every area of your garden.

The limitations of growing crops in pots

While growing plants in containers can help you to save space, there are some drawbacks. Plants grown in pots tend to dry out much more quickly than those in the soil, so you will have to water them more regularly.

Feeding is something you'll have to do more regularly too, as your plants won't have unlimited access to nutrients in the way that they would in the soil. Your plants will use up the nutrients in store-bought compost within about 6 to 8 weeks, so after this nutrients will need to come from organic seaweed feed.

Choosing your containers

There are some key things to consider when choosing a pot for your plants:

• All pots will need drainage holes to avoid your plants becoming saturated.
• Choose the right size pot for your plant.
• Choose the right pot material for the type of plant you want to grow - terracotta works best for Mediterranean herbs which don't like too much moisture.
• If you want to use wooden planters, make sure you line them with plastic or a semi-porous material to prevent the wood from rotting.
• Consider fabric containers which are lightweight and easy to store after use.
• If using metal containers, remember that they eat up in the sun so don't use them to grow moisture-loving crops like lettuce.

Some great crops to grow in containers are

Garlic

Garlic has a long growing season from winter until summer, so instead of letting it take up room in my veg patch, I grow it in fabric containers. It also likes loose soil, so if your garden is clay-based, then it can be a great way to grow it.

Some varieties to try include:

• Garlic 'Thermidrome'
• Garlic 'Germidour'

Mint

Mint is a very invasive plant so if you plant it directly into your garden it will quickly take over. Confining it to a pot is the best way to control this tasty herb.

Some varieties to try include:

• Peppermint
• Egyptian, round-leaved mint

Carrots

If you have heavy clay soil then carrots are another great container option as they won't be able to develop properly in heavy clay. Try growing a dwarf variety if you don't have a huge container.

Some varieties to try include:

• Carrot 'Solvita'
• Carrot 'Bambino'