Cupid is a great variety of strawberry to grow in the garden or in containers.
cupid strawberry
Cupid strawberry is:
Click the link below for more details of this book about growing fruit.
Click this link to buy some Cupid Strawberry plants.
There is still time to sow some seeds now for winter salad leaves.
niche salad leaves
Sow a few seeds of winter salad every few days until mid-November, to give a continuous supply.
Click this link to see which salad leaves are good to grow for winter.
This book shows how to grow vegetables in a small space
Maris-Bard-new-potatoes
Growing your own potatoes is very satisfying, and does not depend on possessing a large vegetable garden. Salad potatoes grow well in pots & containers.
Choose an early variety of potatoes as earlies grow well in pots – main crop varieties do not.
Potato varieties particularly suited to container growing are:
* Amandine
* Swift
Chit the seed for about six weeks, so that the sprouts are about 5cm (2in) long, and dark
in colour.
Prepare the container:
* Find a large container – at least 30cm (12in) across and deep, with drainage holes. Buckets, dustbins, plastic crates, pots or a heavy plastic bag will do the job if they have drainage holes in
the bottom.
* Put broken pottery, stones or polystyrene crocks in the bottom of the container to cover the drainage holes and prevent them getting bunged up with soil.
* Add a layer of compost 10cm (4in) deep . Use multipurpose compost or a mixture of loamy garden soil and compost or well rotted manure .
When to plant potatoes in containers
* Late January in an unheated greenhouse, cover with fleece in frosty weather
* Outside in late February in mild southern areas, or April in colder parts. Protect from frosts when forecast.
Plant the potatoes
seed-potato-in-planting-hole
* put three seed potatoes on the surface of the soil
* place so chits pointing upwards
* cover the potato seed with 15cm (6in) of the compost or soil
* add water if the compost is dry – until it drains out of the holes
* do not water again until the shoots appear
* place the pot in a light, sheltered spot
potato-shoot-emerges
This book by Alan Tichmarsh has lots of handy hints for potato growers:
Growing potatoes in containers or pots is rewarding and does not take up much room.
Nairobi-Carrots-growing
It is difficult, if not impossible, to grow carrots on heavy soil in the vegetable garden. It is hard to produce a seed bed, with very small soil crumbs, suitable to enable the carrot seed to germinate. When it rains the soil goes like concrete, and then when it dries out, it cracks.
On our heavy soil we have incorporated coarse sand to make it more friable. The sand particles help to keep the clay particles apart. You need a lot of coarse sand to have any effect. You need so much that it is not really practical.
Adding a lot of organic matter does not solve the problem, because you need to add so much to have any effect.
Carrots have always been grown on sandy soils, or sandy-loams. But gardeners with heavy soil could try growing carrots in a container – which can be filled with the perfect growing medium!
Containers make it possible to grow carrots on heavy soil in the vegetable garden.
Growing carrots in containers is one way to avoid carrot fly.
Carrot fly travel close to the ground, and a barrier 2 foot high will interrupt their flight path, forcing the fly to take another route. If carrots are planted in a container at least 2 foot off the ground, the carrot flies will just zoom past the side of the container, and not bother the carrots growing inside.
carrot-rootfly-damage
Choose carrots from the Nantes or Amsterdam groups for containers.
Carrot fly ruins carrots, so using containers to avoid the pest is worthwhile.
When growing vegetables in containers it is wise to group plants which grow well together and have the same water requirements.
The amount of light required by different vegetables varies.
Container size:
Minimum days from seed to harvest:
* radish – 20
* beans – 45
* lettuce – 45
* salad leave – 45
* courgettes – 50
* squash – 50
* cucumbers – 50
* parsley – 70
* onions – 80
* aubergine – 90
* pepper – 90
* tomato – 90
Tender green beans, crisp lettuce and freshly picked parsley will give great satisfaction. A simple container-garden enables the whole family to enjoy the true flavour of home grown vegetables.
Problems with vegetables grown in containers are easily rectified if recognised early. The container garden should be inspected regularly, at least daily, so it is worth keeping it in an accessible place.
Common problems in container gardening are:
moving the container to a lighter position, or reducing the amount of nitrogen given.
Containers growing vegetables need plenty of tender loving care. Problems can be identified early, and corrected, so that the containers are productive giving plenty of fresh, well flavoured vegetables.
new-potatoes-lifted
There are many varieties of potatoes which are particularly suitable for growing in pots and containers.
Growing your own potatoes is very satisfying, and does not depend on possessing
a large vegetable garden. Salad potatoes grow well in containers.
Choose an early variety of potatoes, as earlies grow well in pots – main crop varieties do not.
Potato varieties particularly suited to container growing are:
Accent
Amandine
Annabelle
Blue Belle
Lady Christl
Mimi
Rocket
Swift
Vivaldi
This list of potato varieties are recommended for pots and containers, but there are many more.
Raised beds & containers will extend the harvest season of many
vegetables for several weeks:
* because the soil remains warmer than that in the ground, so the
growing period is extended
* by covering plants when frost threatens.
* by carrying containers indoors when frost is forecast
Click this link for information on how to make raised beds
Urban gardeners with no space, and no wish to dig, can grow potatoes in
simple containers:
* growing potatoes in a bag
* planting potatoes in pots
* buckets make ideal containers for growing potatoes
no-dig-potatoes
Hippy gardener sells no-dig potato kits
Powered by WordPress
