Welcome to the world of container gardening! If you have limited outdoor space but a desire to grow your own food, a balcony or patio can become your mini vegetable haven. Lets explore how to cultivate a flourishing container vegetable garden, focusing on popular salad ingredients and other popular summer vegetables. By following these simple tips and tricks, you can savour the joys of homegrown produce all summer long.
Choose the right Container for your Container Garden
To kickstart your container garden, selecting the right containers is essential. Consider the following points:
What Size Container do I need?
Selecting the Perfect Location
Location plays a vital role in growing a successful garden. Here are some pointers to keep in mind:
Sunlight Requirements
Microclimates
Wind Protection
Choosing the Right Soil and Fertiliser
Creating a nutrient-rich environment is vital for container gardening success. Here's what you need to know:
Soil Composition
Fertiliser Needs
Composting
Consider adding to your pots with your own compost. You can easily set up a small composting bin on your balcony to recycle organic waste. Composting kitchen scraps is an eco-friendly (budget!) way to produce nutrient-rich compost.
Which Crops to Grow
Let's start with a selection of salad leaves! Here are some popular salad ingredients that thrive in containers. The Shallow planter of our Vegetable Planter 3 Pack are suitable for all of these.
Plant a few seeds at a time and then repeat every 3 weeks to keep a steady supply up. Click on the title for each crop for full growing instructions.
Lettuce
Choose loose-leaf or compact varieties like 'Salad Bowl,' 'Red Sails,' or 'Buttercrunch.' Harvest outer leaves as needed, allowing the center to continue growing.
Spinach
Opt for baby spinach varieties that grow quickly and occupy less space. 'Baby's Leaf Hybrid' and 'Melody' are excellent choices for container gardening.
Radishes
Fast-growing and space-efficient, radishes are a perfect addition to your container garden. 'Cherry Belle' and 'French Breakfast' varieties are reliable options. Whatever varieties you choose you can plant from Spring right through to late summer.
Rocket
Add some spicy rocket to your containers. Careful succession planting will mean a steady supply of fresh rocket and no gluts or wastage. If you choose one of the smaller planters you can even bring these in and keep them going throughout the autumn.
Other Common Vegetables for Container Gardening
Apart from salad ingredients, you can also grow a variety of other vegetables on your balcony or patio. Here are some popular choices but a word of warning. Only grow what you like to eat! This is not a strict list so adjust to suit your eating habits.
Tomatoes
Select compact determinate varieties such as 'Patio,' 'Tiny Tim,' or 'Tumbler' that are specifically bred for container gardening. Choose a Tomato Planter than provides support for these or even a Tomato Crop Booster if you have a little more room.
Carrots
It is always best to plant carrots in their final growing position not transplant them. This is because their main predator, the carrot fly is attracted to the smell of the crushed leaves so the les you touch them the better. The Carrot Planter is ideal for growing a lovely crop of carrots in a tiny space.Peas: fresh peas often don't make it in to the kitchen they are so delicious eaten straight from the plant. Our neat Pea & Bean Planter is great if you are short of space.
Beans
Climbing beans grow into a large plant so you may want to avoid them (unless you have a something unsightly that you want to screen!) But bush beans are perfect for planters like the Medium planter in our Vegetable Planter 3 Pack. Potatoes
It is far easier to grow potatoes in Potato Planters than in the ground so you may want to do this even if you have garden space! They are easy to grow and have the most beautiful flowers too.