It’s good to be green…
I am one of those people who likes to grow my own vegetables but although I have space to grow direct into the ground I prefer not to as the land has previously been used for a sandblasting business and I am a little unsure of the quality of the soil as well as being aware that it may be contaminated.
So, for several years, I have grown in pots. These take several shapes and forms such as hanging baskets for tomatoes although I have to admit the crop was not that good and this year I am going back to the old system of buckets which cost me 99p from B&Q.
- Image by Living in Monrovia via Flickr
Strawberries fared much better in hanging baskets and looked quite pretty when in flower. After some investigation I managed to get my hands on an empty plastic barrel that once contained screen wash from a local garage that they were throwing out. After a good scrub out, I cut it in half, painted the outside green (the only exterior paint I had) and I grow my root vegetables in them such as parsnips, carrots, onions and garlic as the pots as they are quite deep.
Over the years I have experimented and have grown in some very strange things. Admittedly some work and some don’t i.e. old wellington boots are great for runner beans but I would only put 2 plants in each boot and I then grow them up the side of my caravan.
I am a big fan of perpetual spinach as it has survived throughout the year with very little attention required, it has also grown through snow and survived replanting the following year. Cut and come again salad leaves are also a great as even the most inexperienced gardener can get a quick success with these. At the moment I am germinating my seedlings for this spring on the windowsill at work and I grew peppers in a bean can (large catering size) in the works kitchen which raised a few eyebrows but all in a good way.
The only downside to growing in pots is that the larger leafed plants can be difficult or near impossible to grow unless you can train them to climb and personally I have tried cucumbers and courgettes but with little success though they did go well in the screen-wash pots which I believe is down to a larger surface area.
So here is my challenge to you – find something odd, grow something in it and let me know how you get on.
