pot grown vegetables

I've tried potatoes in pots but I forgot to water them in that hot weather so I don't know how they'll be.

Hi Hywel

if you still have foilage you should still get potatoes

Great blog Mac, Very informative. I think I might try some of these ideas next year, could save me loads of room. I suppose you could even move them if the weather insisted.

Thanks for that.....Ian

ye you could Ian , or if you put a cane in each pot you can just throw plastic sheets over them , the cane keeping the plastic up of the plants.

Ah A canny scot's idea

Thanks . There is still foliage but it got a bit crinkled in the heat. I hope I get some .

Ian you're coming up with ideas to save room or make more room for Mrs. d's flowers? LOL.

Now Kris, We'll have less of that, if you don't mind. Just wait and see ?!? !?!

hhmmmm . . .. . .. your up to something Ian with them plants , I suppose patience is the answer.

No Mac, my next blog will be the answer :~)))))

But when Ian ? when? I aint sure I can hang on

Tomorrow Mac, Tomorrow, probably :~)))

Perhaps, maybe !

you are not getting all male and competitive are you boys?
look forward to your blogs as always.

Would we? :~)))

mmmm? that would be a yes then :o))

Who, us, NEVER

got us all intrigued now!

Maccrimmon, I really enjoyed your blog. this yr we've had some spuds in the ground, but I think the idea of a container in the middle of a mixed bed of flowers/edibles would be great for us to try next year.

Is it too late to plant my potatoes Mac?

No mate but you'll have to keep a close eye on them, they don't like frost.

Thanks digger! I'll wrap them up nice & warm if they get cold!

Someone has said about planting them in sacks with handles, so you can move them into the greenhouse if it gets to cold. They really will turn up their toes at the first sign of frost.

Yep, I bought one of those fold-up garden sacks like Mac has in his pics. Just one problem, I don't have a greenhouse!!

Porch, shed anywhere really to keep the frost off them. Even a corner in the kitchen will do to 'overnight' them

Ok ta! Are there any other veg/fruit I can plant now? I've got a bed prepped now.

Raddish, lettuce, beetroot, that kind of thing. You MIGHT get lucky with some peas and beans, if (and its a big IF) we get some more sun. I have put some carrots in but I'm not holding my breath, and of course you could start looking to your winter veg. Cauli, swede, sprouts, turnip, that kind of thing. Anything is better than an empty bed! ! !

Lol! Well I like peas carrots & beans, could I put them in pots? Lettuce (which ones are crunchiest? Dont like the limp ones) as for winter veg I'd eat cauli & cabbage, but only like raw turnip, so not worth growing for me. And sprouts are the work of the devil!
What about broccoli? I love that!

Lol, All lettuce is crunchy when its only been cut for a few minutes. Carrots do well in deep tubs and I can't see any reason not to try peas and beans in pots. Don't forget they need support so the pots might get top heavy!!
Sprouts, the work of the devil?????
Broccoli, well anything is worth a go, if you have the room.
All these pots will all need extra watering and I can imagine it being a bit difficult to bring them in if you get any early frosts.
I have a few beans that have been in about a fortnight and are only 6 - 8 inches high and my peas are less than that, only about 2 inches.
Good luck and let me know what you decide and how you get on.

Ok, thanks Digger! I'd like to grow my own food, I did as a kid, but we had a ginormous garden & the veg plot was bigger than my garden is now!

I know what you mean, My uncle is the one I look up to when it comes to gardening and he had his huge back garden plus the nieghbours on both sides and an allotment ! ! ! and he didn't pack in till he was 84. He still had his garden when he passed at the age of 92. :~))
Lettuce, raddish, beetroot, spring onions, carrots, onions (proper) can all be grown in planters or troughs. Potatoes, parsnips etc. can be grown in bags or sacks. Tomatoes can be grown in hanging baskets!!! It's the climbers really that are going to cause you the problem. but you could try growing them up a sunny wall on a trellis. Starting next spring of cause.

Like where the sweet peas & nasturtiums are just now? Or I could put trellis up the fence where the veg bed is going! No tomatoes I'm afraid, I'm extremely allergic, can't even touch the plants!

Oh what a shame, I can't have a sandwich with out a tom sliced up. :~))

It seems to have got worse lately! At one time I could have tomato soup or beanz(but only Heinz) but I can't now, & I love pizza, but now I have to load up on antihistamines & plan to have a single slice!
It was a nightmare when I went veggie for 3 years!
a few months ago I was quite ill after choosing the "safe option in a hotel restaurant, steak pie! There was tomato puree in the gravy! My mouth swelled immediately & I necked an overdose of antihistamines, but I was ill for 3 days! That was one mouthfull!
And just to make feeding me easier, I cant bear the taste of onions!!!

Will garlic grow easily in the garden?

I think so, I've never grown it myself but I think its much the same as onions or shallots... Hold on and I'll check my one and only book (By Carol Klien no less)

Here we go. Quote, "It is so easy to grow, and produces so many fat, juicy bulbs that it will transform your cooking and you won't ever go back to shop - bought garlic"
It needs a sunny site with good drainage, avoid planting in freshly manured ground which could cause rotting.
Plant from October through to February but the best bulbs are planted before christmas. Plant with the pointy end facing up and about 4" apart with the tips just hidden below the surface. :~))

I keep reading that it's good to grow it near roses to protect them from aphids!
I've grown the wild stuff, cos I love the flowers & the smell in early summer! It also tastes pretty good!

a bit late for some veggies Mp but carrots ,small ball turnips, radish, quite a few others should be ok in pots.

Ta Digger & Mac! Info taken on board!

My only question is to do with growing vegetables in plastic pots. Does anyone know if anything from the pots seeps into the soil and then into the plants? I am growing in plastic pots but I question their safety. Does anyone know anything about this? Thx.

Good question, Doolybop!
Welcome to GoY!
You're now in contact with the disruptive element! Lol!
( I dont mean me, of course, but Mac & Digger? Well........)

MAC!! Get off the golf course! Digger, out of bed! There's a question needing answered!!

Who?.....wha.....it wasnt me....... it was like that when I got here............ Yawnnnnnnnnn. Whats up now Hatter?
Oh a sensible GoY'er with a question? now let me see, Plastic pots, soil, seepage? I shouldn't think so, if they are proper plastic plant pots then they will have been made with plastic that doesn't 'leach' into the soil.
Hi Doolybop, and welcome to GoY. You don't have to be mad to come here but it certainly helps to have a good sense of humour! ! ! I wouldn't have thought that anything in the plastic will affect your veggies in any way. What are you growing? ? ?

After being called Doolybop I wish I thought up a cooler name, can you guys call me Duke? Thx for responding. I have cauliflower, brussel sprouts, broccoli, a bean, and tomatoes on my patio and I'm in the city. I'm growing them to eat, naturally, but I have always been leery of the plastic. The pots are of mixed types. Because we have recently had the recalling of water bottles and baby products due to the plastic my curiosity has led me to ask. If you guys haven't heard of anything, I haven't seem to have found anything online, so I'm assuming it's probably ok. Thx!!

whasup!! I was on the thirteenth hole and I heard you shouting . Duke I aint heard anything , although the recalls you mention are direct ingestion, if plastic in general was recalled it would be very surprising so I think youare fine . MP please dont SHOUT it put me off a putt . . . disruptive element indeed . me?

Ok thx BigMac appreciate it!!!

BigMac? ? ? LMAO, you putting weight on Mac?

Big Mac?????? LMAO!!
Well, you were both neglecting your duties as advisers to the bewildered!
Sorry, duke, I mean all of us!
And of course you dont have to be me!!
Believe me, there is only one of me!LOL!

Snap, Digger!
And my tatties are doing really well, thanks for the advice GoYs!

Mac I was kidding of course and the following comments were great! You guys have fun and keep it up! It's a good laugh for everyone~" Thanks for the help.
from a happy visitor passing through!!

No, Duke! You're here & once it gets you......
I only came on here to look up a tree!
The rest is history!

Well I am growing a bean, I'm sure I'll need help with it. And it's so sweet that you called me Duke when I asked. I actually do have vegetables growing on my patio and I am in the city of Vancouver BC (near The Mighty Fraser River, as Michael Palin describes in his lumberjack skit). The plastic leaching into the soil was a concern of mine and this site was the best one to pose the question at. Your answers were greatly appreciated. The photos on this thread are gorgeous. You guys, (or in my feigned British accent) "you lot" on here are obviously having a lot of fun. I think I will be back in the future with more questions to pose as you guys seem the most knowledgeable and easy going in the online veggie community. Glad to have corresponded with you all.
"Long and loose and full of fruit juice"

Hi Duke!
LMAO! I'm in Perth, Scotland. I didnt help with the answers, but as they say "I knew a man (or two) who can"!!
Yes, they're a great bunch & we have a laugh whatever the topic of conversation!
Welcome aboard SS GoY! (that stands for Silly Ship!)
Marie x
Sorry, but I have to do this!
DIGGER!! DUKE'S TALKING ABOUT LUMBERJACKS!!!!
To explain, Digger recently had a fight with a tree & lost!

I'm telling ya Hatter (thats as MAD as a) it wasn't a fl***ng TREE Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr :~((

Ner ner ne ner ner!!

Now now Cigs 'n' Figs no need to get aggressive!! Even though trees shouldn't fight back. I guess you have to wrestle them with tact. And yes I did read your profile thing about quitting the smokes:P Where's OldMac? OldMaccrimmon had a farm.......:) I'm kidding MacAttack, love your veggies, photos are top notch, I shall take notes and steal ideas, if you don't mind. All credit will go to you though. I can't wait to attempt growing habaneros in the spring in a makeshift greenhouse on my patio, I hope you can give me the guidance needed for that one.

What's a habanero, Duke?

A habanero pepper, very very spicy. Naturally grows in the Southern U.S. and further south. The temperature in Van is fairly moderate so it's not the best for growing them. I'm planning to try though.

Ah! Thanks! Good luck with it, you can tell I'm a beginner!

Hay Duke, Whats your average summer temp outdoors in your neck of the woods? You can increase that by about................ Hmmmm this is where things can get difficult, 10 - 20 degrees celcius, in a greenhouse! ! ! hope this helps. We manage to grow peppers (in the greenhouse) in the UK with ave. temps of around 20 degrees C.

Really!! The average temp is probably around 25 degrees, although we were up at around 33 a few weeks ago, which is unusual. I am new to all this too so all the little bits of info like that are good to know.

Hi, what type of pots are the ones with the tomatoes and turnips? I went to my local shop and tried to describe them but they didn't seem to know of them. I can't tell what they're made of but they are attractive. A suggestion on where to purchase them would be great too, thanks.

Panky,

The shop section on this website has some similar veg containers for patios etc. have a look there (i went to that section then looked under pots etc, or do a search on containers/planters)

If it's too confusing, paste this
http://www.growsonyou.com/shop/product/9452

into your address bar, those are the closest ones i saw anyway. Good luck.

Hi Panky, it looks like Weeding has beat me to it but I think they are a sinthetic material. I know them as 'patio pots/sacks' Hope you can find them over there.
Good luck searching. :~))

Thanks, I will check it out.

I phoned the main place I shop at, gave them a better description now, and they don't know about them. Are they solid or do they fold down like a sack or sock? I can't tell. Very nice looking though so I will keep searching.

They do fold, Panky. It makes for easier emptying, us Brits will invent anything to make us even lazier. Lol :~))

sorry all been busy , the pots are collapsable waste paper bins from the pound shop , a pound each and a few holes jabbed in the bottom of em with scissors and they are perfect for growing veggies.

They have bigger ones too, labelled as collapsible garden bins! That's what I've got my tatties in!

Trust Mac to get the bargains, well done mate. I'm gona need some of these come the spring! ! ! :~))

Do you have pound shops in deepest darkest England??
If not, I'll look out for them for you! They fold down pretty small & dont weigh much empty!

Oh yes, we have pound shops here but thanks for the offer though. :~)))

:~)))))))

Collapsable waste paper bins?? Wow, now that is creative, well done. But does the material they're made of influence the taste of the vegetables?

Sorry Panky, Welcome to GoY!
We're so busy talking rubbish, we forgot to welcome you in!
BAD GoYers!!!
Theyre a sort of non-oven papery type stuff, but ery strong, but not sure about affect ing the taste!
If all else fails (& they still have them in stock) I'm sure we could arrange to send some over to you!
Or you could try the collapsible laundry bags!
Try ebay!

nope it dont make any difference to the taste of veggies , I have had them for a couple of years and they are still ok although some of the canvas handles have came off , people have left plants at my door and I plant them up in them,a couple of hostas and a nut tree .

Thanks all.

Wigwam looks a great idea..:o)