container growing

Comment by Jan Willetts on September 18, 2010 at 20:55

Any ideas welcome on growing food in pots/containers suitable for my 85 year old father who loves his garden but is finding it difficult to bend/dig. We have tried potatoes, green beans, peas and kidney beans this year with varying degrees of success. Anyone tried broad beans-are there special dwarf varieties?

Comment by Caro on September 19, 2010 at 9:49

Hi Jan, I grew dwarf broad beans this year (the Sutton from Suttons seeds). It grows to about 18" high. First batch was planted (and neglected!) by the children so didn't do well. I tried a late sowing in early August which are doing really well, bug free and, hopefully, full of pods before the frosts! (They did well from all the warm rain we had in London.)

I would also do carrots in containers (interplant with spring onions in case of bugs) - Mr Fothergill's Amsterdam 3 - Sprint has a wonderful flavour and is part of their 'Contained Garden' range of seeds.

Comment by Jan Willetts on September 19, 2010 at 12:55

hi carolyn
thanks for the tips, will certainly look at mr Fothergills range. I have to grow carrots in boxes to beat the carrot fly and usually go for nantes, so will try Amsterdam 3 next time.

Comment by Caroline Holding on September 21, 2010 at 14:03

have just taken a look at Mr F's rather extensive container growing range online thx Carolyn! didn't know about that

Comment by Caroline Holding on September 30, 2010 at 20:47

I have just found the most amazing site! http://www.verticalveg.org.uk/

Comment by Clair Mayne on December 20, 2010 at 3:26

Clair here from USA (ex-pat).  I had an abundance of tomatoes all in containers on my back deck. I have never grown ANYTHING before and am feeling p-r-e-t-t-y pleased with myself I must say LOL!

Comment by Louisa @ The Really Good Life on January 3, 2011 at 17:37

I want to increase my growing space this year and the easiest way to do that will be containers - including wall planters and hanging baskets to make the most of our vertical space in the garden -- I've just seen the verticalveg site and am inspired!

 

One thing I very keen to try is lettuce/salad leaves grown in "window boxes" hanging off our balcony/other railings - to maximise space and (hopefully) minimise slug attacks.  A friend has some planters that straddle railings but they're expensive to buy and don't give that much root space.  I'm thinking of maybe making/modifying some window boxes to hang them on the railings inside (to make something like this http://www.gardenxtras.com/largeimages2/std%20-%20char.jpg ) - has anyone made anything like that before? Got any tips?

Comment by geoffrey dunstan on January 31, 2012 at 21:29

Hi all for many years now i have grow my onions and carrots in flower buckets and pop bottles except for a few in the garden and i have been very successful. The one thing that i found in growing in containers is that you  dont get many problems reason being is because i grow all my carrots and onions in half compost and half soil which is well sieved befor mixing with other ingredients. Doing that way you will know that you wont get any bugs or nasties. Another thing i do is to grow my carrots next to the onions and  that will help deter carrot fly and onion fly. hope this info helps  

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