Maximize your vegetable yields in containers
Growing a variety of veggies in pots is a breeze! Fruits like potatoes, tomatoes, chillies, and salads can all flourish in containers. To ensure your container garden thrives and yields delicious crops, consider these tips:
- Combine crops that enjoy the same sunny, sheltered spot. Opt for plants like basil, tomatoes, aubergines, and chillies. These Mediterranean gems love the same growing conditions, and you can even add herbs like rosemary and oregano for an aromatic touch.
- Grow companion plants together in the same pot. Pair basil with tomatoes, and the basil might help protect your tomatoes from pests like whiteflies and aphids. Summer savory is rumored to keep blackfly at bay when planted with broad beans.
- Use big pots to give your plants plenty of room to grow and produce a bountiful harvest. Opt for pots with enough depth to support larger plants like climbing beans. Steer clear of containers with tapered sides, as canes won't be able to reach deep enough for support.
- Make the most of your container space by growing different plants that crop at different times. Scatter radish, lettuce, and pea shoots around slower-growing crops like tomatoes and kale. Trailers like tumbling tomatoes and nasturtiums will grow down the sides of your pots, while root crops like carrots or radishes won't take up much space above the soil.
- Don't assume potted vegetables need to be dwarf varieties. Use plant supports to maintain height; bamboo canes or hazel poles can form a tepee for climbing beans, borlotti beans, and nasturtiums.
- Plant edible flowers like nasturtiums and violas alongside your more traditional veggies for a colorful addition to salads. But don't forget, they'll also attract beneficial insects to help keep pests at bay!
- Hanging baskets offer another great option for container gardening, especially for tomatoes and strawberries. Give them a try to add vertical interest to your garden!
Pro Tip: Get to know some of the best companion plants for commonly grown container vegetables:
- Tomatoes and Basil: Repel pests and boost flavor!
- Marigolds: Help keep pests like aphids and nematodes away.
- Oregano, Lettuce, and Chives: Grow them together for a salad or pizza garden that benefits from shared growing conditions.
Happy growing! And don't forget to check out Alan Titchmarsh's video guide to help you get started.
- To enhance the flavor and repel pests in your container garden, consider growing tomatoes and basil together.
- For a healthy-cooking lifestyle, adopt gardening as part of your home-and-garden lifestyle by growing lettuce, oregano, and chives together, which share similar growing conditions and can be used for salads or pizza.
- Upgrade your food-and-drink choices by growing edible flowers like violas and nasturtiums, not only for their vibrant colors but also for their beneficial roles in attracting helpful insects to your container garden.
