growing own veggies in bags and pots (Merged)

lynzpower

Glad yopuve mentioned about the container for carrots

ive bought some carrot seeds ( B&Q patio) to start off with.

What sort of container do i need?

GreenTricky

What a fantastic thread, so much information, I cant wait to start growing in containers this spring.

ellebee1986

What a fab thread

This will be my first year growing anything properly, I did try peppers last year but think I left it too late and although I did have one little pepper growing, I don't think I was prepared for the frost and they all died

Starting off with mushrooms from a beginners kit I found in Aldi for £3.99 and seed potatoes which Im just chitting at the moment. Wonder if gravel bags can be used instead of official planting bags ... they seem to be cheaper cos Ill need a few. I have 16 seed potatoes. How many bags will I need?

Im also going to have a go at peppers and tomatoes Can these just be done in plant pots?

x

Lotus-eater

ellebee1986 wrote: »

Wonder if gravel bags can be used instead of official planting bags ... they seem to be cheaper cos Ill need a few. I have 16 seed potatoes. How many bags will I need?

Im also going to have a go at peppers and tomatoes Can these just be done in plant pots?

x

Gravel bags are OK, but better if they can't get light through. Go for 2 per bag.

Peppers can be done in largish plant pots. Tomatoes need something bigger, about the size of the black pots you see flowers in, in supermarkets.
Tip, some supermarkets give those buckets away and they are perfect for tomatoes.

ellebee1986

Lotus-eater wrote: »

Gravel bags are OK, but better if they can't get light through. Go for 2 per bag.

Brill thanks, am I right in thinking as long as the lining inside is black it should be ok? And if not if i double up on gravel bags would that be sufficient do you think?

Peppers can be done in largish plant pots. Tomatoes need something bigger, about the size of the black pots you see flowers in, in supermarkets.
Tip, some supermarkets give those buckets away and they are perfect for tomatoes.

Fab tip! Thank you Ill be cheeky and go in and ask I do have a 40l plastic kitchen bin that I no longer use ... would that be suitable for my tomatoes maybe? Or maybe a gravel bag job again?


Is there a way of managing the veg so that you have regular harvests rather than just one a year because Im hoping to save some money by eventually becoming a bit more self sufficient and when i finally get round to sorting my state of a garden I can organise a proper veggie patch

pineapple

ellebee1986 wrote: »

Starting off with mushrooms from a beginners kit I found in Aldi for £3.99 and seed potatoes which Im just chitting at the moment. Wonder if gravel bags can be used instead of official planting bags ... they seem to be cheaper cos Ill need a few. I have 16 seed potatoes. How many bags will I need?

For seed potatoes I've successfully used ordinary refuse bags in the past - though of course you can't re-use them as they don't last like the proper ones. I just poked holes in them for drainage.
I plant 4 or 5 to a bag if that helps.

Lotus-eater

ellebee1986 wrote: »

Fab tip! Thank you Ill be cheeky and go in and ask I do have a 40l plastic kitchen bin that I no longer use ... would that be suitable for my tomatoes maybe? Or maybe a gravel bag job again?


Is there a way of managing the veg so that you have regular harvests rather than just one a year because Im hoping to save some money by eventually becoming a bit more self sufficient and when i finally get round to sorting my state of a garden I can organise a proper veggie patch

40L bin would be perfect for a large tomato plant.

Yes you can manage the veg so you get something most of the year. But it's down to seasons and space, what you can grow.

For example, you can get lettuce all year round, if you are organised (but do you want to eat it all year round), but tomatoes only from maybe early August to late October (if you're lucky).

Storage, pickling, jams, jellies, freezing are the main ways to keep the harvest going. It's alot easier to make a passata with toms and have that sauce in April, than trying to grow tomatoes out of season, for instance.

Alot of winter crops need space in the summer as well.

If you've got the space, time and organisation skills, not to mention the growing skills, you can do it, but it's not easy.
You're starting small and you will gain experience as you go. Keep going and keep trying to get more growing space.

Dustykitten

I found the flower buckets from supermarkets degraded and cracked quite quickly so you might want to double them up.

I grew tomatoes in the large supermarket bags (the sturdy ones with the fabric handles like the french ones) last year. 2 plants per bag. I used compost from 1 1/2 growbags and staked the corners with 4 strong poles tied together at the top. Worked a treat. Crop was fantastic against a west facing wall.

Sazbo

Dustykitten wrote: »

I found the flower buckets from supermarkets degraded and cracked quite quickly so you might want to double them up.

I'd second this

ellebee1986

Thanks for all of the advice! I appreciate it


Im off tomorrow to scout the supermarkets for buckets and to the garden centre to grab some of those little trays for starting the seeds off. Now just to decide how many seeds of each to start off with because knowing me Id be tempted to used the whole pack and be overcome with veggie plants haha

Those little cutting trays how many seeds per section? Is it just one or can you manage a few in one bit?