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| Go greener |
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| With a growing number of gardeners eschewing chemicals in favour of natural alternatives, we can suggest some effective products from our organic gardening selection |
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| Relax and refresh |
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| Good food freshly prepared daily, aromatic coffee, chilled wine and a grassy play area for the children. What more could you need? |
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| Food heaven |
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| Our Farm Shop is heaven for food lovers! Delicious handmade food, top quality groceries, fresh fruit and vegetables and stylish cookware and gifts. |
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| The Discovery Walk |
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| As thousands of daffodils herald the spring, stroll or stride around our Walk while the youngsters enjoy the Nature Trail |
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Pots of peas and tubs of toms!
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| Thursday, 21st February 2008 |
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IN THE GARDEN WITH PETA MARSHALL
There are many of us, sadly, who would love to grow our own vegetables at home – but the trouble is our homes (or more correctly our gardens) don't allow it. Modern gardens are so much smaller than those enjoyed by our forefathers, and this more often than not means that there is no room for a vegetable plot.
Of course you could apply to the council for an allotment. Having an allotment is incredibly cheap, incredibly healthy and incredibly satisfying.
But even this is not the answer for many, as the allotments are either not available, or they are too far away, or they are just too time-consuming for our busy lifestyles.
The answer is to grow own vegetables in containers. Pots, tubs, bags, troughs, windowboxes, hanging baskets – they can all be used with great results. If you feel like giving this a go in 2008, now is the time to stock up on what you need.
There is no real secret to growing good produce in containers, and if you’re determined enough you can persuade just about any edible plant to grow in a container. Some plants positively thrive in them, even performing better than those planted in the open ground. Edible plants are easier to manage when they are cultivated in containers, and in many cases there are dwarf or compact varieties that have been especially bred for growing in more confined spacing.
This year at Priory Farm we are growing many more of our own vegetable plants for selling later in the spring. It means we can guarantee the quality, and you won’t have to worry about the ‘plant miles’ – distances used for transporting plants around the country (or world) before they get planted in gardens. Watch out for more information closer to planting time.
In terms of veg in containers, I've either grown, or I’ve seen very fine examples of the following:
* Cabbages - miniature kinds forming small heads that can be harvested before they mature. Try the varieties 'Hispi', the autumn 'Minicole' and the red cabbage 'Primero'.
* Cauliflowers - similarly go for the smaller varieties, which can be harvested when they are tennis-ball sized. 'Idol' and 'Candid Charm' are suitable for close cropping.
* Lettuce - of all the salad crops this is one of the easiest to grow in containers. There are many different sizes of plants with different leaf shapes. I've seen wonderful pots of 'Blush' (leaves tinged pink) and 'Mini Green' (a miniature crisphead type).
* Beetroot - you wouldn't think that root crops are appropriate for container-growing, but they are. Smaller and suitable varieties for growing as mini-beet include 'Kestrel F1', 'Monaco' and 'Detroit 2 - Little Ball'.
* Carrots - choose either round or stump-rooted carrot varieties, or grow more traditionally long varieties but use taller containers. People growing carrots (and parsnips) for the show table even use drain pipes stood on end and filled with growing compost.
* Potatoes - early varieties such as 'Accent', 'Mimi' or 'Swift' are best suited to containers because they crop quickly and have less top-growth than maincrop types.
* Onions - I've seen traditional large bulb onions grown in large tubs, but they are not ideal, and don't represent a good use of space. The most suitable variety for growing as mini-onions include 'Shakespeare', 'Imai' and 'Simonita'.
* Leeks - these can actually be very successfully grown as mini or baby vegetables. Look for the varieties 'King Richard' and 'Jolant'.
* Peas - grow these in as deep a container as possible, and make sure the compost is well-drained. 'Feltham First' and 'Meteor' are compact varieties, and 'Half Pint' is very dwarf.
* Runner beans - these need large containers, and a framework of canes to climb up. But dwarfer varieties, needing no support, are available. Look for the stringless 'Pickwick', 'Hammond's Dwarf Scarlet' and 'Hestia'.
* Courgettes - modern varieties are suitable for pot growing. Choose the round, yellow-skinned 'One Ball F1' which is harvested when tennis-ball sized, or 'Supremo' and 'Patriot' which are harvested when the fruits are 6in (15cm) long.
* Cucumbers - arguably best in a growing bag rather than a pot, these climbing or trailing plants are a bit more of a challenge. Make sure they get a plentiful supply of food, water and heat.
* Peppers - sweet or bell peppers and chillies can be grown as neat, bushy plants, and usually crop very well in pots. There are dozens of varieties, but 'Redskin' is a fine compact form.
* Tomatoes - the best-known vegetable for growing bags, these can also be grown in pots. Try cherry tomatoes such as 'Cherry Belle' and 'Gardener's Delight'. There are even a few varieties specially bred for hanging baskets - look for 'Tumbling Tom Red' and 'Tumbling Tom Yellow'.
But I've just been skimming the surface – there are many, many more types of vegetable suitable for container-growing, from aubergine to zucchini. When I come to think about it, asparagus is just about the only vegetable you can't grow in a tub! Happy Gardening!
This week in your garden
Shrubs growing in containers that do not need to be repotted should instead be topdressed. Remove the top inch or so of compost and replace it with fresh material.
Crumble any large clods of soil dug during the autumn, and cover the area with strips of plastic sheeting or cloches to warm the soil for early sowings of radishes, beetroot, lettuce, broad beans, spring onions and Brussels sprouts.
Raspberries, blackberries and hybrid berries: check posts and supporting wires, and renew any that are damaged.
Peta Marshall is the plant centre manager at Priory Farm in Nutfield. Website: www.prioryfarm.co.uk
NEXT WEEK: Flowers for Mother’s Day
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