Vegetables can be grown in containers as well as in the vegetable garden. All sorts of containers may be used, such as yoghurt pots, cream cartons, plantpots or tubs. These may be kept on the windowsill, doorstep, patio, balcony, roofgarden or in a windowbox.
Salad crops are easy to grow in containers. Radish, spring onions and salad leaves grow quickly and are are happy in tubs. Successive sowings, every two weeks ensure a constant supply.
The pots should have good drainage. Holes punched in the bottom of yoghurt & cream cartons allow water out. Place the cartons in a saucer, to catch the water draining through, so it does not make a mess. If there are no drainage holes, the pots need to be large enough to hold some stones, or broken crocs, which together act as a water catchment area.
Compost, or growing medium, is sold in supermarkets & garden centers. It is possible to use garden soil, and the soil on mole hills is ideal. But this is likely to be home to various bugs and worms which could eat the growing vegetables, particularly as the pests cannot move away to find any other food.
Vegetables grown in containers need to be in a light place. But avoid placing them in a position where they will be baked by the sun. The vegetables plants will need constant, probably daily, watering so that they are always damp.
These French Breakfast radish were sown 2 weeks ago.
Spring onions grow more slowly. These White Lisbon onions have taken 2 weeks to emege.
Lettuce seeds are quite vigorous. This is a pot of mixed salad leaves, which can be treated as a ‘cut & come again’ crop.
The mixed salad leaves have different shapes, colours and textures, giving a pleasing variety.
