growing own veggies in bags and pots (Merged)

lewlew_2

hi all,i would love to grow chillies in a pot on my patio any advice (what are the best and easiest type to grow,where is the best place to get the seeds or plants from) would be great thanks

starlite_2

thanks! The fire escape is south facing and has huge wide iron steps that will be fab for growing on.

I saw an ad. in the guardian for a selection of potted beans and cherry tomatoes..it was £9.99 for 8 plants which seemed pretty good.
I have succesfully grown hot chillies (and garlic..shallots and capsicums) on our kitchen window sill but would love to try growing the sweet ones

starlite_2

lewlew..I got my chilli seeds in a gift box from argentina (along with some strangely yummy chilli chocolate so can'thelp with that one..
i'd say local independent nurseries are the best place to get advice
(don't ever assume anyone in b&q knows a thing about plants..lol)

or of course somone with better knowledge will come along on here...

susank

Friends say to buy cheap large black dustbins - make some holes for drainage in the bottom of them and put in about 1 foot compost/soil etc then plant some potatoes and cover lightly - then add as they grow more compost and they will reach the top - great potatoes when ready and easy to get out - just tip the bucket

elizabethp

Well after reading this thread this morning, you all inspired me to go out and buy some tomato, pepper and cucumber plants, they are now neatly planted in grow bags in the conservatory! Fingers crossed I will get something!!

Kazonline

Hi all - it's a great thread and it'd be a shame to see it slip off the board ;-)
Inspired by this forum I've a few seedlings on the go and would like to ask for your advice on potting on my lettuce. I need to stick to pots and bags so was wondering what would be best for my lettuce? Could I grow them in gro-bags and if so, how many to a bag?
We get through loads of lettuce so hopefully will grow stacks of the suff.
Also, while out I managed to find some 'seed' potatoes, but they didn't look very healthy to me. I know that they need to have 'eyes' but should they also be soft and wrinkly?
Any advice would be very gratefully received :-)
Kaz
PS while at a garden center today I asked the price of a 'patio sweet pepper' plant. I reeled in horror when they said £1.99 per plant - what's your opinion on this? Surely one of those would never produce enough fruit to justify that price? They were about 4" high, but the compost was bone dry, and looked as though the whole tray of plants had been dropped and quickly shoved back into their pots.

Strepsy

Kazonline wrote:

Also, while out I managed to find some 'seed' potatoes, but they didn't look very healthy to me. I know that they need to have 'eyes' but should they also be soft and wrinkly?
Any advice would be very gratefully received :-)
Kaz
PS while at a garden center today I asked the price of a 'patio sweet pepper' plant. I reeled in horror when they said £1.99 per plant - what's your opinion on this? Surely one of those would never produce enough fruit to justify that price? They were about 4" high, but the compost was bone dry, and looked as though the whole tray of plants had been dropped and quickly shoved back into their pots.

Yes, seed potatoes should look like that. I'm a little squeamish of touching them. lol.

£1.99 a plant sounds pretty expensive. I have 4 pepper plants on the go and the seeds cost 29p from Lidl. If you got some in now I think they'd catch up but I'm no expert. I imagine you could also find them cheaper if there's anyone selling them at car boot sales.

Kazonline

Thanks Strepsy, I'll nip past lidls again and see if they've any of those seeds left - I thought I'd picked one up last time but had picked up two thyme packs! HAve you grown the peppers before? I'm wondering how many 'fruit' they tend to produce - I know I find peppers so expensive they are rarely on my shopping list! It would be nice to grow them as we all enjoy them.
These seeds from liddle seem fantastic - It's a week since planting and I have seedling from all the lettuce I sowed, the courgettes popped through yesterday and the thyme is sprouting also. At 29p per pack even if I only get one lettuce from it I've covered the price of the seeds!
I'm so thrilled - and my boys are loving it also. Thanks to everyone on O/S for their inspiration!!
Kaz

nuttyrockeress

I find the easiest chillies to grow are Cayenne. Last year we did Hungarian hot wax for the first time (great flavour but not many "fruits") must feed them more this year I think.

Edited to add I got the Hot wax plant from B&Q

starlite_2

One tip!
we have a huge allotment near us (no meanfeat in london!) with a public path through the middle..it's on our way to my friends house and I often get stopped by people cooing over my baby.
Since I got chatting to the 'regulars' I have been offered all kinds of plants, seedlings, offcuts and surplus fruit and veg

The allotments seem like a real haven from 'city' life..like a proper community where they all share tips and produce and seeds etc.
Sadly the waiting list here is 12 years unless we have a friend who passes it on..

Definitly worth enquiring about getting one I'd say..or if not, befriending the people that have them as they were a wealth of information and pretty inspiring!

oh..apart from one guy who apparantly buys a few crates of beer and has his friends sit around on an untouched muddy plot getting drunk..grr! ..they are all petitioning for him to be evicted!lol