Growing Veggies

clairefun

We use: bay (i leaf at a time so it's great, and can be added to *lots* of meals or even just rice). Basil - in a lot of tomato based dishes, pasta dishes etc. Sage - essential for home made delicious stuffing! Rosemary, we use for roasts and with potatoes in particular. and then thyme we use in nearly everything we cook - stews, sauces, soups, meat dishes, pasta dishes.

Hmmm. I'm hungry now!:rotfl:

louise_1981

Have to agree with basil - lovely on top of halved cherry tomatoes
Coriander nice in sald, to stuff chichen
Sage
chives

MonstersMummy

Basil, Chives, Parsley (although not for you!), Rosemary, Thyme, Mint, Oregano and Coriander would all be well used in the kitchen.
Bay is a bit different as it is a tree, and a fairly expensive one at that.
You have to watch mint as it spreads like wild fire. I put mine in a pot in the ground to contain the roots but it still reached the other end of the bed!!!
Coriander and basil are more suited to the windowsil than the garden as they prefer warm-hot temperatures and dont do so well in Britain.
You can get Thyme as a tall or spreading variety so it depends on how much space you have as to which one to get.
Not technically a herb but the other staple to go with would be garlic, incredibly easy to grow and cheap as you can just use a clove you already have in the kitchen!!
If you want a quick fix, buy the pots of herbs from supermarkets and just plant them out in your beds!! I did that with all of mine bar the rosemary, coriander and basil and they all thrived.

lynseydee

I would like to grow some veg in containers but was wondering if, as I am the only one who would eat them, whether once they have grown I can freeze them? It would be a shame to spend all that time growing them to just have to throw them because they weren't eaten up quick enough.

Linda32

lynseydee wrote:

I would like to grow some veg in containers but was wondering if, as I am the only one who would eat them, whether once they have grown I can freeze them? It would be a shame to spend all that time growing them to just have to throw them because they weren't eaten up quick enough.

Yes you can indeed freeze home grown veg, just the same as you can if you've bought too much at the supermarket.

(Sorry if you already know this)
I do it quite oftern, I usually buy one of those stew pack (Not the onions just the roots) and chop them up into ordinary sized chunks, boil for about 5 minutes, then drain and run cold water over them to cool them down quickly, once cool, place whatever portion size you need for your meal into a food bag. The I put all the bag into one of those freezer bags which you can write on, (so it saves on using the freezer bags which are expensive) I put a date on, one year in advance, so that becomes the best before date.

Then when you cook them, treat them as frozen veg.

Linda32

sammy_kaye18 wrote:

Hi All

How deep a container would i need to use to grow carrots in?? just wondered because id love to get a bit more green fingered this year and the main things we eat are carrots, swedes, onions and mushrooms. - so im thinking if i can grow carrots and see how successful i am with them then it will save us a bit!

Yes you can grow carrots in pots and infact would perhaps work out better, they like nice soft soil with no stones, its this that makes the rude veg :rotfl: the root hits the stones and forks off in all directions.

You can get stumpy carrots which will obviously be better.

poppielia

Am loving this thread as i am going to have a go my self this year at growing some veg all in pots.
Would really love to grow garlic, basil,tomatoes,onions, courgettes, parsnip, carrots.
I know i can use a bulb of garlic from my kitchen and this would grow into more garlic but how big a pot should i use? What soil is best? (would bog standard soil do?) Whats the best time of year to try growing it? And how often does it need watering/ Also once you have planted your bulb of garlic how long usualy does it take before you get a crop?
Sorry for all the questions but i dont wanna make a pigs ear of it. lol
Thanks

artichoke

hi garlic can be sown now december is best but january will do- just get a bulb and divide into cloves and put the indiviual cloves into a pot of compost now.

i have grown loads of veg in containers my strangest success being sweetcorn grown in inner city london. Just 2 sweetcorn plants in each large pot and 4 pots put next to each other to cross pollinate and wonderful (smallish) but wonderful juicy sweetcorn.

Not sure it would work for me now as have moved to the colder north.

but most veg will work in containers if watered enough
artichoke

poppielia

Thanks for that. will give it a go!

lynseydee

Thanks Linda32 I will try to remember that. Now I've just the fun of growing it all now :j