growing own veggies in bags and pots (Merged)

Gangstabird

Don't wast money buying mags, look on here for inspiration. I am about to try growing Kale & Courgettes in total shade in pots in my front garden which is North facing.

There are loads of links to stuff as well.

All you need to start with is trays with 'oles in and something underneath to stop the water from going everywhere. You know the plastic stuff you get mushrooms, plums, kiwis, strawberries - that's the one. Put something under it I have used roasting tins old pirex lids etc. Get a bag of compost and just stick your seeds just under the top, use a pencil/pen to 'dig' the hole about 1cm and watch them grow. then when they look huge, I dunno, I use the rule of about 3 inches, gently replant them into something else, loo rolls cut in half on the same dishes, saucers etc.

Just put more compost in the loo roll and sort of spread your plant into it. Then when they are massive, plant into things into your garden. It's probably best to buy some plant pots at this stage but I am sure someone else will come along and tell you the best place for each plant.

I want to add that one of my friends has recently given up the rat race and her conservatory ( I don't have one) looked like day of the triffids. She planted stuff in those boxes that orange juice comes in... cartons, old plastic milk containers..... loads of stuff. As long as you move them when the roots become long, they will be fine.

mummy_dumpling

What can I grow in those black flower buckets you can buy from morrisons at 8 for 99p? I got a pack which has 18 buckets (10"x10") but am now wondering what I can plant in them

Can you grow garlic in containers? I bought some from wilkos (1 pack elephant garlic and 1 pack regular) Do you get 1 head of garlic per clove planted or more than that?

Also I picked up a pack of 3 strawberry runners (honeyoye). Should I be planting them now? Keeping them inside or outside? Will grobag compost be ok?

Lastly has anyone grown soft fruit bushes in containers? Aldi had some mixed packs of 3 soft fruit canes for £2.37 (gooseberry/raspberry/blackcurrant/redcurrant/blackberry/tayberry) would any of those work in pots?

thanks

arkonite_babe

We have a thread similar to this already, I'll add your query to it so all the replies are together. Posts are listed in date order so you'll need to read from the beginning to catch up


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troglodyte

Hello all,
A question for all you container-gardeners: if you have a lot of containers, how do you avoid spending a fortune on compost? Can you buy bags in bulk or has anyone ordered it by the lorry-load/ tonne? Just filling one big pot uses up most of a standard bag so I'm afraid of spending so much on compost that the results just aren't worth it!

Larumbelle

troglodyte wrote: »

Hello all,
A question for all you container-gardeners: if you have a lot of containers, how do you avoid spending a fortune on compost? Can you buy bags in bulk or has anyone ordered it by the lorry-load/ tonne? Just filling one big pot uses up most of a standard bag so I'm afraid of spending so much on compost that the results just aren't worth it!

When I needed large quantities I called my local council and got some 'municipal compost', which they make with green bin waste and parks department waste. I can't remember how much it cost, but it was by far the cheapest I could find at the time, and they delivered it by lorry for me! So try your council. Also ask at the local allotments, lots of allotment societies bulk buy things like this.

When you bulk buy it is by the cubic metre. One cubic metre = 1000 litres. You can currently buy 300l for £11.74 at Wickes (4 x 75l bags) so a cubic metre would need to cost less than around £39 including VAT and delivery to beat them. That is, of course, assuming you have a Wickes within striking distance - don't forget to factor in fuel costs, especially if you'd need to make multiple journies to get the amount you need.

nodwah

troglodyte wrote: »

Hello all,
A question for all you container-gardeners: if you have a lot of containers, how do you avoid spending a fortune on compost? Can you buy bags in bulk or has anyone ordered it by the lorry-load/ tonne? Just filling one big pot uses up most of a standard bag so I'm afraid of spending so much on compost that the results just aren't worth it!

I have loads of pots etc and I half fill them with old bricks, chunks of polystyrene, stones and garden compost and then I only put the bought compost on the top bit

sb44

nodwah wrote: »

I have loads of pots etc and I half fill them with old bricks, chunks of polystyrene, stones and garden compost and then I only put the bought compost on the top bit

I have a lot of those black flower buckets from Morrisons. I used some for toms and may use some for strawberries this year.

We have some small pebbles from the front garden that I was going to take to the tip. Could I half fill these black buckets with those? Would have of those buckets filled with compost be ok for toms and strawbs?

I assume if I only half or 3/4 fill with compost the roots will just continue down and find their way around the pebbles which I suppose would stay damp.

nodwah

I would say the toms need the full depth of one of those - as my toms' roots always fill the large pots I grow them in - by the end of the season it's a solid mass of roots.
However the strawbs are much shallower rooted and would not need a potful of compost so they could be half filled with stuff

sb44

nodwah wrote: »

I would say the toms need the full depth of one of those - as my toms' roots always fill the large pots I grow them in - by the end of the season it's a solid mass of roots.
However the strawbs are much shallower rooted and would not need a potful of compost so they could be half filled with stuff

That's great, thanks for the advice. Now I need to look for some cheap strawberry plants.

stilernin

nodwah wrote: »

I would say the toms need the full depth of one of those - as my toms' roots always fill the large pots I grow them in - by the end of the season it's a solid mass of roots.
However the strawbs are much shallower rooted and would not need a potful of compost so they could be half filled with stuff

I agree that the roots of a tomato plant would fill one of those black flower buckets but there is still a way of not using quite so much compost.

Fill the bottom half of the bucket with a mixture of 25% compost and 75% stones or polystyrene. Top up with compost and put in your tomato plant.

Now get a cheap washing up bowl and some small stones or pieces of brick. Stand the planted up black bucket on some stones (or bricks) in the washing up bowl.

While the plant is still small, water around the plant as normal.

But when it is bigger and you begin to feed it, the regime changes. The feed is watered into the compost. However, when watering you pour the water into the washing up bowl. How much depends on how big the plants are and the temperature of the day.

Allowing the bucket to 'sit in' water while the plant is small will make the compost too wet and it will go sour. But once the plant is big, the roots will have gone through the compost/polystyrene mix and be happy in the water in the washing up bowl. As long as the roots at the top aren't 'drowning'.

This system works far better than the buckets alone or grobags which go from being wet when watered to bone dry if the day is hot. The plant can also grow more roots which means a better plant.

Sorry this is long, but once you have 'got it' it is easy to do.