When May comes around, I have to face the sowing choices I made in February. I always sow more plants than I have space for in case of germination failures or seedling losses. But if all the seeds sprout and all the young plants survive, I start summer with more plants than I have room for in my veg patch. And judging by all the tomato plants appearing by my neighbours’ garden gates for 50p each, I’m not the only one.
When I wrote my first book – How to Grow Your Dinner Without Leaving the House – I wanted to encourage aspiring gardeners to make the most of small growing spaces, so I decided to write about planting crops in containers. As long as you have access to a space that gets a good amount of sunlight, it’s a great entry point for new gardeners, more accessible for those with limited mobility (put your pots on a table!) and a way for those who are renting or have modest, paved gardens to grow edible plants.
When choosing containers, there are a few factors to consider. First, the size of the pot will be determined by the size of the plant at full maturity. A 10-litre container can comfortably accommodate a succession of radishes, but you need space for at least 40 litres of compost for a cascading cherry tomato. Look out for dwarf varieties as they are bred to thrive in small spaces.
What your containers are made of also matters. Metal ones tend to heat up in the sun, and terracotta doesn’t retain moisture for long, so both options, while aesthetically pleasing, might mean you have to water your plants more frequently. Plastic pots are useful as they are lightweight, hold water well and will last if you take care of them. But please don’t ever buy them: secondhand plastic pots can be found in their thousands at community gardens, thrown out by garden centres and piled up in sheds across the land.
For larger plants, such as courgettes and aubergines, my go-to container is a fabric grow bag. They’re strong, reusable and encourage plants to develop robust root systems. Plus, even when they’re full of compost, you can use their handles to move them around – I find this ideal for making best use of the sunny spot in my garden before it gets overshadowed by our rampaging hop plant.
When growing any plant in a container, remember that the nutrients in the compost will run out eventually, so you will need to introduce supplementary feeding into your plant care regime – especially for hungry, fruiting plants such as tomatoes. I use an organic liquid seaweed feed to ensure all my pot-dwelling crops have the nutrition they need to succeed.
