growing own veggies in bags and pots (Merged)

hathor

Lynzpower - if watering is a problem in hot weather (I'm being optimistic here that we'll get a "summer" this year), can I recommend my home-made self-watering container idea to you? Lots of veg - tomatoes in particular - need lots of water when they're fruiting, and if you think about it, as soon as you've watered them, they start using the water + evaporation is happening, and they immediately begin drying again. Apparently a tomato plant in full flow can use a gallon a day: something of a problem if you're out at work. Full instructions (sorry, it's a v long post!) on the "show us your veg patch" thread, around July last year, if I remember correctly. I grow all my veg in SWCs as I don't have a garden, only a balcony.

To explain a bit more clearly: the "self-watering" bit means that each container has its own reservoir of water that the plants' roots can draw on. You also don't wash any nutrients out of the soil/compost by top-watering, and don't have to have "saucers" underneath. It was my first year last year, and I found them very successful.

motherkitty

Babyblooz - I have a heap in the corner of the garden which is full of chicken manure and grass clippings etc. Would this be alright to dig into my veg bed? Do you need to leave it to rot down for a long time before use or can I scrape it straight out of the chicken run and chuck it in the veg bed?

BeenieCat

I'm going out to buy a bag of compost today so i can start learning about growing my own veg, any ideas on types of potatoes/carrots/onions etc i can plant now?

Lotus-eater

Motherkitty, you need to leave it to rot down a long time.

Beeniecat, you can sow any types of the things you want about now. Carrots should be just about be able to go in now, onion sets can go in, potatoes I am still holding off until the beginning of next month, but some gardeners have already got them in.

fitzmum

Pie123 wrote: »

http://www.dobies.co.uk/Shop/Seed+Potatoes/Bargain+Potato+Planters+plus+15+seed+potatoes+478998.htm

I'm really tempted to try growing potatoes on my patio. If I bought them now, how long do they take to grow? I was hoping to have a potato that I could take out as & when I need them rather than have one large crop which may go to waste. How long will they keep for once harvested?

Also, lettuces would be great - how would I go about growing them? How long do they take and could I just pick them as & when I need a few leaves at a time?

Thanks xx

Lotus-eater

If you buy first early potatoes they will be ready by about July if you put them in soon.
What you do, it's called furtling IIRC, although I'm sure I will be corrected if I am wrong. You stick your hand in the compost and have a good feel around for the spuds, pull up what you want and leave the rest to grow on.
(if you are a man, you probably know how to do this already)

Lettuces? Sow some now, they take as long as they take, depends on lots of things, but they are quick growing. Buy a variety you can keep picking leaves from. Cut and come again, they can be called.
I like mixed lettuce and oriental salad seeds. Also little gem lettuces are really lovely.

elliep_2

I bought some seed potatos from the garden centre and they are chitting now. The thing the pack doesn't tell me and I was hoping you lovely people might be able to help me with is this. How many should I plant in the space?

I'm using those black flower buckets from the supermarket and will keep topping up the soil and will add a bottomless bucket onto the top so it'll be two buckets high.

Should I start with one, two or more seed potatos in the bottom?

Lotus-eater

I would do one, but try 2 in some and see what the difference is at the end.

Good idea about the bottomless pot.

fitzmum

Thanks!!
Now....I'm a complete novice. What shall I buy?? large pots and my own compost & seeds? or are they sprouted potatoes?? or the sack kits that I saw in dobies?
And the lettuces - do they go in grobags? or tubs? and I have a cat &lots of cats in the vicinity- will this be a problem??

Lotus-eater

Don't buy a potato kit, they are a rip off. You can grow them in anything you can get hold of, See the various threads on here.
You can buy seed potatoes from lots of places at the moment, Wilkinsons, any garden centre.
But you only need a few depending on how many bags of compost you want to buy, so try to get a couple from a gardener who buys alot of them if you can. You can use potatoes from shops that sprout, but it is not advised, however if you are only growing a couple to try for the first time, it's not a bad idea I think.

If you want to buy a bag of compost just for potatoes, just use the bag you buy the compost in to grow them.

Lettuce will grow in anything, cats will be a problem, so keep any loose soil covered over.